The case in Miami dubbed “Suitcase-gate” has caused a strain between the U.S. and its South American neighbors.
BY JAY WEAVER
The Miami Herald
MIAMI — Franklin Durán on Monday afternoon was found guilty of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered government agent for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
The verdict came in Miami federal court on the seventh day of deliberations by a 12-member jury in the trial dubbed ”Suitcase-gate.” The case has drawn keen interest in Latin America.
Jurors agreed with federal prosecutors that Durán came to South Florida last year on behalf of the Venezuelan government to silence a business associate about a cash-filled suitcase intended for an Argentine politician.
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