Norberto Gonzalez-Claudio Pleads Guilty for Role in 1983 Wells Fargo Heist

Norberto Gonzalez-Claudio spent 25 years on the run before he was .

Today, he pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford on federal charges related to involvement in the September 12, 1983, robbery of an armored truck in West Hartford. He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of possessing a machine gun when he was arrested in 2011.

Gonzalez-Claudio, now 67, was a militant Puerto Rican nationalist and alleged key conspirator in the notorious 1983 Wells Fargo robbery at an armored car depot in West Hartford, according to the FBI. He was arrested in Cayey last year after 25 years on the run for his role in a $7.1 million robbery that was among the largest in U.S. history.

"After more than a quarter century on the run, this defendant has admitted his guilt to charges related a $7 million armored truck robbery," stated U.S. Attorney David Fein in a prepared statement issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"I commend the FBI in Connecticut and Puerto Rico, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service, for never resting in investigating this case and apprehending the remaining fugitives. Their combined efforts demonstrate the resolve of law enforcement in the pursuit of justice," Fein said in the release.           

"Today’s plea is the result of an investigation that has spanned nearly 30 years and underscores the FBI’s tireless pursuit of justice," stated Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Connecticut, in the release. She commended the collaborative efforts of the FBI in San Juan and New Haven, and said their efforts would continue until all involved in the Wells Fargo robbery are brought to justice.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported that, according to court documents and statements made in court, Gonzalez-Claudio conspired with others to rob approximately $7 million in cash from the Wells Fargo Armored Service Corporation in West Hartford and to transport the stolen money to Mexico.  

The robbery was reportedly staged to fund the activities of Los Macheteros – translated as Machete Wielders or Cane Cutters – a violent separatist group seeking Puerto Rican independence.

According to today's release by the U.S. Department of Justice, "Gonzalez-Claudio pleaded guilty to Count 12 of a superseding indictment, which charged him with foreign transportation of stolen money, and Count 16, which charged him with conspiracy to rob federally insured bank funds, to commit theft from interstate shipment, and to transport stolen money in interstate and foreign commerce. Gonzalez-Claudio also pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, which was found in his residence following his arrest in Cayey, Puerto Rico on May 10, 2011." 

Sentencing is scheduled for September 27, 2012, and Gonzalez-Claudio faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of up to $20,000 on the Wells Fargo robbery charges, and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000 on the machine gun charge, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the release, a binding plea agreement, subject to approval by the Court, states that "the parties have agreed that a sentence of five years’ imprisonment on the Wells Fargo charges, and a concurrent sentence of 37 months of  imprisonment on the machine gun charge is an appropriate disposition of this case."        

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, only one of the 19 defendents charged in this case remains a fugitive. Victor Manuel Gerena of Hartford, the so-called inside man was believed to be in Cuba when Gonzalez-Claudio was arrested last year.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading directly to Gerena’s arrest. (http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/victor-manuel-gerena/view)