Mirtza Ocaña, a Cuban-American resident in Tampa, who was arrested in February for illegally bringing $102,000 into the United States from Havana, has been sentenced to five months in prison for two counts of money smuggling.
Ocaña, 39, was also sentenced to three years of probation after completing her time in prison, along with a fine of $10,000, according to a statement from an official of the Central Florida District Attorney's Office to the Café Fuerte portal.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle considered that the defendant had pleaded guilty to the charges and had no prior criminal record. For each charge, she could have received up to five years in prison.
Ocaña must report to prison next Monday to serve his sentence.
Her lawyer, Juan C. Mercado, had requested that the sentence not exceed eight months of house arrest along with an additional month of probation. Although his client will still have to go to jail, he described the ruling as a "victory."
"The guidelines indicated a minimum of eight months of jail time, and we managed to get five months. Obviously, she didn't want to go to prison, but considering what we could have received, this is a victory and we are happy. Finally, this chapter is closing for her," he said.
During the process, Mercado has consistently claimed that his client merely made "a mistake that anyone could make." He has also firmly denied any connection with the former Cuban Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil, who was dismissed and charged with corruption.
On the other hand, the prosecution argued that of the 45 trips to Cuba he made since May 2023, at least 16 were for money smuggling operations, and that he earned between $1,000 and $2,500 for each one as payment from his co-conspirators.
"On each occasion, Ocana [SIC] did not declare the cash as required by law. Instead, he concealed the money, and that behavior continued until federal agents searched him. And Ocana was not smuggling small amounts of cash just over the permitted threshold of $10,000. When he was discovered, he had more than $100,000 expertly arranged in his luggage to hide it from authorities," detailed Assistant Prosecutor Michael J. Buchanan.
The Cuban woman was arrested on February 5 at Tampa International Airport during a routine inspection. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents discovered $102,709 in cash that had not been declared.
The money was distributed in her luggage and among her clothing. When questioned, she confessed that she received payments ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 for each trip she made from Cuba to smuggle large sums of undeclared money into the United States.
The National Security Investigations team has handled this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Buchanan highlighting the seriousness of the charges, which include smuggling and conspiracy with an unidentified individual to transport illicit money to the United States.
U.S. laws allow the entry of any amount of cash, but require that amounts exceeding $10,000 be declared. This regulation aims to combat money laundering and criminal activities, such as the financing of terrorism.
Filed under: