Dylcia Pagan
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Dylcia Noemi Pagan was born in New York City in 1946. She had a son, Ernesto Gomez-Gomez with William Guillermo Morales.
Background
Dylcia Pagan was a member of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, or FALN, which "was a clandestine organization that believed in armed struggle as a means to achieve independence for Puerto Rico".[1] Dylcia Pagan was arrested with other FALN members on April 4, 1980 in Evanston, Illinois and was "given a 55-year federal sentence for seditious conspiracy and other charges" after being "linked to more than 100 bombings or attempted bombings since 1974." She and the others were granted clemency by Bill Clinton in 1999.
The FALN and Macheteros Clemency
A House Report titled "The FALN and Macheteros Clemency: Misleading Explanations, A Reckless Decision, A Dangerous Message"[2] dated December 10, 1999 outlined the history of FALN, their terrorist activities and listed those granted clemency:
- Elizam Escobar
- Ricardo Jimenez
- Adolfo Matos
- Dylcia Noemi Pagan
- Alicia Rodriguez
- Ida Luz Rodriguez
- Luis Rosa
- Carmen Valentin
- Alberto Rodriguez (who later denounced his actions)
- Alejandrina Torres
- Edwin Cortes
- Oscar Lopez
- Juan Enrique Segarra-Palmer III
- Antonio Camacho-Negron
- Roberto Maldonado-Rivera
- Norman Ramirez-Talavera
References to Dylcia Pagan:
- At approximately 3:15 p.m., a resident of an Evanston neighborhood called the police to report some suspicious activity on her street.\80\ She had seen joggers around a van, but had seen at least one of the joggers smoking.\81\ At 3:30 p.m., the responding officers approached the van and spoke with Carlos Alberto Torres, who was then on the FBI's ``most wanted list. \82\ The officer did not recognize him, and explained that a neighbor had called complaining of ``kids partying in a van. \83\ After some discussion the police officers were still not sure about the situation, and ordered everyone to get out of the van.\84\ One of the officers looked inside the van, but did not notice anything suspicious.\85\ The FALN members might have been permitted to go free if Alfredo Mendez' false mustache had not begun to slip from his lip.\86\ The officers immediately realized there was a problem and ordered the three FALN women to drop their bags. As that occurred, a group of backup police officers rushed to the scene with their weapons drawn.\87\ The nine arrested with the van were: Dylcia Noemi Pagan, Elizam Escobar, Ida Luz Rodriguez, Carmen Valentin, Carlos Alberto Torres, Maria Haydee Torres, Ricardo Jimenez, Adolfo Matos, and Alfredo Mendez.\88\ Found in the van were 13 weapons, including a sawed off shotgun and several pistols with the serial numbers obliterated.\89\
[...]
- " The Milwaukee safe house was leased in one of the false names used by Ida Luz Rodriguez.\106\ Law enforcement fingerprinting showed that, at a minimum, the safe house had been used by Ida Luz Rodriguez, Dylcia Pagan, Maria Haydee Torres, Carmen Valentin, Luis Rosa, Elizam Escobar, Oscar Lopez Rivera, and Carlos Torres.\107\ The Milwaukee safe house contained a soundproofed firing range in the basement.\108\ A search of the house uncovered, ``a plethora of FALN-related evidence, including proceeds of various Wisconsin armed robberies, FALN literature, disguises, proceeds of armed takeover of the Chicago Carter-Mondale reelection headquarters, and the original stencil of a threat letter sent to more than a hundred Carter-Mondale delegates[.] \109\ In addition, investigators found a military manual that discussed weapons, explosives, terrorist tactics and past Puerto Rican acts of violence.\110\ Enclosed in that manual was a six page document which appeared to be some type of justification for what was called the ``military action taken at Fraunces Tavern in New York.\111\
[...]
- " At the end of their trials, the defendants were brought before the judge for sentencing. The courtroom turned into a political demonstration; as the judge handed down the sentences, the defendants sang, shouted, and called him a ``puppet and a ``clown. \120\ As she was being sentenced by the judge, Carmen Valentin shouted, ``[y]ou are lucky that we cannot take you right now. Our people will continue to use righteous violence. Revolutionary justice can be fierce, mark my words. \121\ Ricardo Jimenez shouted at the judge, ``[w]e're going to fight . . . revolutionary justice will take care of you and everybody else. \122\ Dylcia Pagan warned the judge and courtroom, ``[a]ll of you, I would advise you to watch your backs. \123\
Sentence
- Dylcia Noemi Pagan was convicted of nine criminal counts on February 11, 1981, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The maximum penalty for these crimes was a $60,000 fine and/or a maximum of 90 years in prison. Pagan was sentenced to a 55-year term of imprisonment on February 18, 1981. The specific criminal counts are as follows:
- The total effective 55-year sentence was determined by consecutive and/or concurrent sentences for the individual counts. Counts 1 and 2 were to run consecutively. Counts 3, 4, and 9 were to run concurrently with each other and consecutively to all other counts. Counts 10, 11, 12, and 13 were to run concurrently with each other and consecutively to all other counts.
- On August 26, 1980, Pagan began serving an Illinois State sentence for conspiracy to commit armed robbery (3 years), unlawful use of a shotgun (5 years consecutive), and unlawful use of a loaded handgun (364 days concurrent). She was confined at the Illinois State Penitentiary until she was remanded into Federal custody on January 31, 1981. Pagan's Federal sentence was to run consecutively to the 8-year sentence imposed in the Illinois State Court.