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DOCUMENT  0121


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Indictments
Project Nassau
1967

[NOTE:  An amended complaint was filed which dropped Mitchell Werbell.  He was dropped because a "third" agency had a wire tap on him and the prosecutors believed the others would make the jury believe a wire tap was on everyone.]

Typed: 2/23/67
Clifton F. Sessions
Acting Director of Public Information

J. Walter Yeagley
Assistant Attorney General
Internal Security Division

INDICTMENT OF ROLANDO MASFERRER ROJAS, ET AL

It is anticipated that a two-count indictment will be returned against Rolando Masferrer and six other defendants by a Federal grant jury at Miami, Florida, on February 27, 1967.  The defendants were among the 75 persons arrested at Marathon, Florida, on January 2, 1967, by Bureau of Customs agents as they were preparing to embark on an invasion of Haiti.  Since that date the defendants have been at liberty on their personal recognizance.

In addition, to Masferrer, the indictment will name as defendants: Jean Baptiste Georges, Antonio Leon Rojas, Rene Juares Leon, Julio Aton Constanzo Palau, Martin Francis Xavier Casey and Mitchell Livingston Wer Bell.  It will charge the above named defendants with conspiring to launch a military expedition from the United States against the Republic of Haiti in violation of 18 U.S.C. 960.  It will also charge all of the defendants, with the exception of Wer Bell, with attempting to export arms and munitions from the United States without a State Department license, in violation of 22 U.S.C. 1934.

The first count of the indictment will allege that from in or about May, 1966, up to and including January 2, 1967, the defendants conspired with each other and with other persons, some of whom are named as co-conspirators, to assemble armed men and military equipment in the Southern District of Florida and to cause these men and their arms and military equipment to be transported from the United States for the purpose of launching a military expedition against the Republic of Haiti.  The Second count will charge six of the defendants with the attempted exportation of these weapons from Coco Plum Beach, Florida on January 2, 1967.

Records
Mr. Morris
Mr. Davitt
Mr. Yeagley
Section Copy
Complimentary Copy

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page 2

Each of the named defendants could be sentenced to a maximum term of five years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000 for a violation of the conspiracy charge, and a maximum term of two years and a $25,000 fine for violation of the attempted exportation charge.

Rolando Masferrer Rojas is a Cuban citizen, who was admitted into the United States in a parole status in 1959.  A former Senator in the Batista Government, he was born on January 12, 1918 and currently resides in Miami, Florida.

Father Jean Baptiste Georges is a Catholic priest and a citizen of Haiti.  He was born on November 1, 1919, and is a former Minister of Education of Haiti.  His current address is 718 SW Fourth Street, Miami, Florida.

Antonio Leon Rojas is a Cuban citizen.  He was born on June 12, 1914 and currently resides at 1152 SW 15th Avenue, Miami, Florida.

Rene Juares Leon is a Haitian citizen who was born on March 22, 1934 and currently resides at 89-12 Elmhurst Avenue, Apartment 328, Elmhurst, Long Island, New York.  He was allegedly a Commander in the Palace guard of the Maglorie Government of Haiti.  He attended Military Officers Training School at Ft. Benning, Georgia in 1956.

Julio Aton Constanzo Palau is a Cuban citizen.  He was born on May 22, 1936 and currently resides at 752 SW Fourth Street, Miami, Florida.

Mitchell Livingston Well Bell is an American citizen who was born on March 8, 1918, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He currently resides at Powder Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, and is self-employed in public relations work.

Martin Francis Xavier Casey is an American citizen.  He was born on August 8, 1938 and currently resides at 1925 SW Fourth Street, Miami, Florida.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Customs.

A copy of the proposed indictment will be forwarded to you in the morning.  It is contemplated that the Government will begin presenting its evidence to the grand jury at that time.

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