Cuban pilot listed in Raúl Castro indictment sentenced on immigration fraud case

ImmigrationCuban pilot listed in Raúl Castro indictment sentenced on immigration fraud caseLuis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez was sentenced for providing false information to U.S. immigration authorities when he applied for permanent residency.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Cuban pilot Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez in a MiG fighter jet.Dept. of JusticeShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 28, 2026, 3:24 PM EDTBy Nicole Acevedo and Alexis BoentesA Cuban pilot facing charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals — part of former Cuban President Raúl Castro’s recent indictment over the fatal shooting of two U.S. civilian planes in 1996 — was sentenced Thursday in connection with a separate immigration fraud case.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez was sentenced to seven months in prison for providing false information to U.S. immigration authorities last year when he applied for permanent residency. He is expected to only serve about 10 more days in prison since he has already served some time.The Justice Department indicted González-Pardo Rodríguez on immigration fraud charges on Nov. 6, alleging he lied about his prior membership in the Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force to immigration authorities. He was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, the following day.The indictment was filed after the federal government declassified photographs that showed González-Pardo Rodríguez wearing an olive-green military flight suit next to a fighter jet with Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez, another Cuban pilot indicted alongside Castro on charges of conspiracy, murder and destruction of aircraft in connection with the 1996 incident.Four Cuban exiles who lived in the U.S. were killed on Feb. 24 of that year after the Cuban military shot down their civilian planes. The men belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a group strongly opposed to the Cuban government. Cuba sa...