The plot that went nowhere

Anti-Castro
‘gun collector’ goes to prison 

By
Emilio Paz                                                                     Read Spanish Version

You’ve
got to feel sorry for Robert Ferro. The poor fellow will not be
allowed to bring down the Cuban government and re-enter triumphantly
his native land. Instead, he will remain in a federal prison in
California for at least the next five years.

Ferro,
64, last week was sentenced to 65 months’ imprisonment for amassing a
huge arsenal with the intent of overthrowing the government of Cuba.

The
weapons — about 16,000 firearms and 89,000 rounds of ammunition —
were found in Ferro’s home in a Los Angeles suburb during a police
raid in April 2006. It was the largest arsenal ever seized from a
civilian in the United States.

The
sentence that U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips gave Ferro on
Aug. 27 was 13 months longer than the one suggested by government
prosecutors. Ferro’s appeal choices are limited because he had
earlier entered a plea agreement that allowed the prosecutors to
charge him with the illegal possession of only 16 firearms and a hand
grenade.

When
arrested, Ferro told the police that he gathered the weapons at the
behest of the Miami anti-Castro group Alpha 66 and the Central
Intelligence Agency. Both organizations denied that allegation.

Even at
his sentencing, Ferro continued to maintain that the weapons were
intended for use in an invasion or in terrorist activities on the
island. "They were to be used in Cuba, in Havana," he told
the judge last week.

Ferro’s
lawyers tried hard to minimize the gravity of the charges. They told
the judge that Ferro’s membership in Alpha 66 ended 30 years ago and
asked her not to consider that association as a factor in his
criminal history.

Judge
Phillips rejected that argument. She pointed out that Ferro was
sentenced in 1991 for illegal possession of explosives (C-4
plastique) and
that he claimed at the time they would be used against Cuba. Both in
that instance and in the current case, Ferro had alleged "the
need to invade Cuba," the judge said, and she was not going to
overlook that.

The
judge also rejected an explanation that Ferro needed the weapons for
his personal protection. The weapons in the indictment included
machine guns, a live grenade and guns with silencers, she noted.

"There’s
only one reason to have guns with silencers, and it’s not for
protection," she told the defense lawyers.

Attorneys
for Ferro also argued for a reduction in his sentence because of his
age and medical history: he has diabetes and a heart condition.
Phillips was unimpressed; age does not exempt a criminal from
punishment, she said.

As to
his diabetic condition, the prosecutors pointed out that Ferro had
deliberately worsened it while in jail by eating large amounts of
candy. The judge said she believed medical care could effectively
treat Ferro in federal prison "if he chooses to be compliant."

Phillips
also fined Ferro $75,000. But don’t feel sorry for him. Court
documents showed that he has $4.5 million in assets.

Emilio
Paz is a Miami-based writer.