Guillermo Hernández-Cartaya

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Guillermo Hernández-Cartaya was a Cuban banker born sometime in 1932 ^[1] (the New York Times described him in 1977 as in his "mid-fifties"); he spent 20 years as a banker in Cuba, until he emigrated to the United States, where he became infamous as a dirty banker and the leader of the corrupt World Finance Corporation.

Contents 1 Bay of Pigs fiasco 2 World Finance Corporation 3 Acquittal and conviction 4 References

[edit] Bay of Pigs fiasco

He first became notable when in 1961, after having previously joined the Brigade 2506/Operation 40 organization and participating in the Bay of Pigs Invasion (possibly in revenge for Fidel Castro having destroyed his livelihood; Cartaya had been on very good terms with the former rulers of Cuba), he was sentenced to three years in jail for his part in the invasion. How he got out of jail is unclear. Kwitny writes:

Another, a Cuban named Guillermo Hernandez-Cartaya, was the chief executive at World Finance. The CIA had paid $50,000 to get him out of a Cuban jail after he was captured at the Bay of Pigs. During that time, several government investigators says, he went on hunting and fishing trips with Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller. ^[2]

[edit] World Finance Corporation

Back in the United States, he garnered infamy when his elaborate financial empire, centered around the World Finance Corporation which he founded in 1971, came crashing down in 1977- the scandal would estimatedly cost depositors and taxpayers somewhere over $50 million in three continents. He was captured using forged passports to leave Miami after escaping from the United Arab Emirates (despite the confiscation of his real passport). In 1982, he was charged in court with a number of crimes- largely money laundering, drugs and arms trafficking, and embezzlement. For some reason, all charges except income tax evasion were dropped, apparently at the firm insistence of the CIA (which had, incidentally, sponsored the Bay of Pigs invasion, and has long been said to covertly support the Colombian cocaine trade Cartaya facilitated). In the aftermath, Florida Attorney General Robert Shevin returned $7,600 in contributions from WFC-connected Latin businessmen. Dade County Democratic chairman Michael Abrams resigned from the board of a WFC-backed insurance company. ^[1]

[edit] Acquittal and conviction

Cartaya and his former aide Salvador Aldereguia-Ors (often linked to Cuban intelligence agencies, primarily because when the FBI arrested him, in his briefcase a letter addressed to a spy named "Samuel" was found. He has admitted fighting with Castro, and to helping Rebel Army friends find jobs at WFC, but he denied being a Cuban spy.) ^[3][4] were acquitted in 1978 of an 1978 indictment charging them with conspiring to use a false passport to help Hernandez Cartaya escape from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. Cartaya's passport had been confiscated in an attempt by the Ajmani to have him repay the more than 12 million missing $USD. ^[2]

He, Francisco J. Fernandez, and Vicente Carrodeguas were only ever convicted of tax evasion (Henry Heitman, Jr., who was the only defendant to testify, was acquitted); they had not reported a number of large bonuses as salary. ^[5] An appeal to the Supreme Court was denied.

After serving one year in prison, Cartaya was released on the 6th of June 1987 ^[3]. Kwitny records that there were rumors that Cartaya retired to Galveston, Texas.

[edit] References

1. ^ Biographical information from the entry for "GUILLERMO HERNANDEZ-CARTAYA" on the Federal Bureau of Prisons' website's "Inmate Locator"
2. ^ Endless Enemies: The Making of an unfriendly world, Jonathan Kwitny, 1984. Meuthen Publications, ISBN 0-86553-124-2
3. ^ Gloria Marina. "Sunday; Section 4, Page 1, Column 3", The Miami Herald, March 19, 1978. 
4. ^ Joe Crankshaw; Patrick Riordan (reporter). "Section 1, Page 1, Column 1", The Miami Herald, March 15, 1978, Wednesday. 
5. ^ drawn from the UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT; 747 F.2d 1390; 1984 U.S. App. LEXIS 16181; 85-2 U.S. Tax; Cas. (CCH) P9567; 56 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5106; December 5, 1984
   • <ref>''[[The Miami Herald]]'', October 19, 1978, Thursday. Section 3, Page 1, Column 2. By Joe Crankshaw</li></ol></ref>
   • "Cuban Exile Banker Under Wide Inquiry", Jeff Gerth, 15 December 1977, A1, The New York Times
   • "People", 12 March 1978, section F7, The New York Times
   • ^[1]

   Persondata
   NAME	Hernández-Cartaya, Guillermo
   ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Hernandez-Cartaya, Guillermo
   SHORT DESCRIPTION	Cuban banker and criminal
   DATE OF BIRTH	c. 1932
   PLACE OF BIRTH	Cuba
   DATE OF DEATH	?
   PLACE OF DEATH	Galveston, Texas (?)