Jose Antonio Llama

Paramilitary organization and foundation

According to Llamas the paramilitary role of CANF was established in June 1992 during an annual congress meeting in Naples, Florida. The idea was born when a member recommended "doing more than lobbying in Washington" to overthrow the Cuban Communist government of Fidel Castro. Jorge Mas Canosa and Jose "Pepe" Hernandez were selected as leaders to choose the group for armed operations. Llama has maintained that foundations general board of directors were unaware, including at the time, the board chairman Jorge Mas Santos. With the group established in 1992, the following year brought about more extensive planning, including consideration on what will need to be purchased to carry out their missions. During the 1993 meeting in Puerto Rico, Jose "Pepe" Hernandez was selected as the group's leader due to his "...known record as a fighter in the 2506 Brigade and the Marines."

Arrest, indictment and acquittal

On October 27, 1997, off the coast of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico four men were captured by a United States Coast Guard Cutter. On board the yacht, "La Esperanza" (English: The Hope), were a cache of hidden weapons and military grade intelligence gear, including: (2) .50 caliber sniper rifles, GPS equipment, light weight radios and night-vision goggles and 12 rounds for a .357 pistol. The weapons were hidden under a compartment built into the stairs leading to the cabins, and the hatch was hidden by a throw rug. The yacht was registered to a Florida company, Nautical Sports, Inc, whose chief executive officer, director, secretary and treasurer was José Antonio Llama. On August 25, 1998, the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) announced it had indicted Llama with conspiring to murder Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Particularly in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1117, 1116, and 1111. The USDOJ believed the men were attempting to assassinate Castro while he would be in Isla Margarita, Venezuela for the Ibero-American Summit.

A jury acquitted them on December 8, 1999 after a federal judge threw out one of the defendants’ self-incriminating statements. The admission was by Angel Alfonso Aleman, who stated upon the ship's boarding by Customs officials: "They are weapons for the purpose of assassinating Fidel Castro." The Cuban ambassador to the United Nations cited the trial as "rigged" in an open statement before then United Nations regarding Cuba's anti-terrorism efforts.

Admission and lawsuit

Llama, who made a fortune installing air conditioners in Soviet vehicles, admitted in an interview with El Nuevo Herald the plot to kill Castro and cited other members of CANF as assisting in securing items, funding and participating in the planning. Llama stated he was coming forward because CANF had stolen 1.4 million USD of his money, between 1994 and 1997, to plan the operation which did not go forward. Llama was considering a lawsuit to recoup his money. With the admission came a larger list of items acquired for carrying out the task of assassination, these included: a cargo helicopter, ten ultralight radio-controlled planes, seven vessels and explosives. One of those vessels was the Midnight Express fast boat, meant to take the CANF leader at the time, Jorge Mas Canosa to Cuba if a power struggle erupted or the missions were successful. Another of those vessels was "La Esperanza" which was confiscated by the United States Department of the Treasury following the indictments.

Llama has since stated he is writing an autobiography titled: De la Fundacion a la fundicion: historia de una gran estafa (From the Foundation to Meltdown: Story of a Big Swindle).