By VANESSA BAUZÁ, The
Sun-Sentinel. Web-posted: 11:53 p.m. Nov. 30, 2000
MIAMI -- Prospective jurors pulled no punches during round two of jury
selection in the "Wasp Network" spy trial.
Asked about the case, one man characterized the defendants as "five
Mickey Mouse spies" who would be back in Cuba "if it weren't for the
hysterical Cubans in Miami."
A woman said she would not trust testimony from admitted Cuban spies or
members of the Cuban military because "they all lie through their teeth."
Another man said Cuban exiles have at times made him feel like "a
stranger in my own community," because he doesn't speak Spanish.
Only three non-Hispanic prospective jurors out of the first pool of 12
made the initial cut. Eventually, U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard, defense and
prosecuting attorneys will choose 12 jurors and six alternates.
About 30 questions, which had been painstakingly worded and negotiated by
prosecutors and defense attorneys, provided a litmus test for a community often
divided by passionate views on Cuba.
In several cases jurors said they would try to keep their personal
opinions from creeping into a verdict. But many also confessed it would be
difficult to separate their family's background from the facts of the case.
Asked whether she would choose herself as a juror one woman said she
would not.
"I would be concerned that my feelings were stronger than my sense
of justice," she said.
During detailed, one-on-one questioning, Lenard asked the prospective
jurors about their opinions on the Elián González case, the Cuban
exile community and U.S.-Cuba relations.
The defendants were arrested in Miami-Dade and Broward counties in 1998
and charged with acting as unregistered agents of the Cuban government, which
carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The U.S.
government has accused three of the men of penetrating U.S. military
installations and passing on defense secrets.
Copyright 2000, Sun-Sentinel Co. & South Florida
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