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[NYTr] US Sports Agent Convicted of Trafficking Cubans for Profit

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Apr 13, 2007, 11:17:34 PM4/13/07
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ABC News - Apr 13, 2007
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=sports&id=5206383

Agent convicted of smuggling Cuban prospects

04/13/2007 9:27 AM - A sports agent was convicted Thursday of smuggling
potential major league-caliber baseball players out of Cuba and harboring
them in the United States for profit.

KEY WEST, Fla. -- A sports agent was convicted Thursday of smuggling
potential major league-caliber baseball players out of Cuba and harboring
them in the United States for profit.

Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez, a co-founder of California-based Total Sports
International Inc., was charged in October in what was thought to be the
first indictment accusing a prominent sports agent of smuggling big-league
baseball prospects out of Cuba.

The Cuban-born Dominguez, who has represented dozens of Cuban defectors and
other major league players, denied any wrongdoing during his seven-day
trial. But a federal jury found him guilty of conspiracy to smuggle five
ballplayers from Cuba to the Florida Keys.

According to trial evidence, Dominguez then had the illegal immigrants
transported to California, where they were harbored pending an expected
windfall from lucrative future sports contracts.

Dominguez faces up to five years in prison for his conviction on the
smuggling conspiracy charge plus up to 10 years each for 20 separate
smuggling convictions. He was free on bond pending sentencing on July 9.

Jurors acquitted co-defendant Roberto Yosvany Hernandez of six counts of
conspiracy and alien smuggling. Two other original co-defendants of
Dominguez reached plea agreements before the trial.

Evidence against Dominguez included $225,000 in payments to purported drug
trafficker and Cuban smuggler Ysbel Medina.

Medina, a witness for the prosecution, said the payments were to finance the
smuggling operation.

Dominguez's business partner, Steve Schneider, said afterward, "I am shocked
because I believe the facts will not support that verdict."

Operations that illegally transport Cubans from their communist-ruled island
to Florida are commonplace, and shipping people on the 90-mile trip across
the Florida Straits can be highly profitable.

But the Dominguez case was believed to be the first directly linking
smuggling with the business of baseball, which is Cuba's national sport as
well as America's national pastime.

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