Posted on 07/09/2007 4:43:05 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
A US Federal judge sentenced sports agent Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez to five years in prison today for smuggling potential major-league baseball players out of Cuba.
US District Judge Michael Moore ordered the prison term for Dominguez, the 48-year-old co-founder of California-based Total Sports International Inc.
Dominguez, who has represented dozens of Cuban defectors and other major league players, was convicted in April of smuggling five prospects out of Cuba to the Florida Keys and then on to California, where he shopped them to potential teams.
The case was believed to be the first directly linking smuggling with the business of baseball, which is Cuba's national sport as well as the traditional US national pastime.
In addition to five years behind bars, the judge ordered Dominguez to serve three years probation and to pay a $US2100 ($2445) fine.
Defence lawyers Stephen Salter and Ben Kuehne, pleading for leniency, had earlier cited scores of letters, including one written by Hall of Fame pitching great Sandy Koufax, supporting Dominguez.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Sandy Koufax? Say it ain’t so, Sandy.
I smuggled some Cubans into the US once. Smoked really well.
KRAMER: Jerry, once you’ve had real Cubans, there’s just nothing else like it.
JERRY: (confused) We’re talking about people, right?
CASTRO: Ordinarily I would not grant such a request but I’ve heard you are, uh, how you say, Communista simpatico, eh?
GEORGE: Muy sumpatico. Muy muy muy.
CASTRO: Well good, then you can have your pick.
GEORGE: Oh, oh!
CASTRO: They will play for your Yankees.
GEORGE: Oh well, gracias El Commandante, gracias. Muy muy.
CASTRO: And I would be honored if you would be my guest for dinner tonight at the Presidential palace. There will be girls there and, I hear, some pretty good food. Of course the problem with parties is you invariably have to eat standing up which I don’t care for but on the other hand I don’t like to balance a plate on my lap either. Once when I was at a party, I put my plate on someone’s piano. I assure you, if I had not been a dictator, I would not have been able to get away with that one.
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