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Two years ago Gustavo Villoldo, an anti-Castro agent who buried Che Guevara’s body, was awarded a $1 billion judgment against the Cuban Government after he claimed that Fidel Castro’s rise to power lead to his father’s suicide. Now, another Miami judge has ruled that the Cuban government must pay Villoldo an additional $2.8 billion for torturing Villoldo himself.
Florida Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko agreed that Villoldo was tortured for five days, and that Cuban agents attempted to assassinate several times ever since he left Cuba.
The $2.8 billion is the largest judgement ever levied against the Cuban Government, though the Cuban Government has never responded to such a lawsuit.
Back when Villoldo was awarded the original $1 billion, his lawyer told us he was hopeful they’d be able to collect a large portion of the sum.
“We will collect a large portion of it,” lawyer Jeremy Alters said at the time. “There are assets belonging to Castro that are seized around the world right now. And with the opening of relations between the U.S. and Cuba to come, there are debts to society to be paid before that happens.”
Though, the total amount of all seized Cuban assets in America only totals $200 million.
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