Accused Cuban spies seek house arrest
BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@MiamiHerald.com
WASHINGTON -- A retired couple accused of spying for Cuba say they're
willing to put up their house and sailboat for bond if a federal judge
will let them serve house arrest.
Walter Kendall Myers and Gwendolyn Myers say they're also prepared to be
ordered to stay away from Cuba's equivalent of an embassy if U.S.
District Court Judge Reggie Walton grants their request.
The couple is due back in court Wednesday to ask Walton to let them be
released into the custody of Gwendolyn Myers' son.
A federal magistrate last week sided with U.S. prosecutors and ordered
the couple jailed. The couple's lawyer will argue before Walton that 'a
combination of conditions can be set that will reasonably assure the
Myers' appearance in this case.''
The couple was arrested June 4 and has been held without bond since
pleading not guilty to charges of wire fraud, serving as illegal agents
for Cuba and conspiring to deliver classified information. U.S.
Magistrate Judge John Facciola last week declared the couple a flight
risk, suggesting they could flee to Cuba or its Cuban Interests Section
in Washington.
But the Myerses argue through an attorney that defendants must be
released prior to trial unless the court can't find a way to
``reasonably assure the appearance of the person.''
The Myerses note that in one case, the court ordered the release of a
defendant who allegedly acquired products capable of triggering nuclear
weapons, even though ''the weight of the evidence against the defendant
was substantial'' and the defendant was an Israeli national with no ties
to the United States. He was released subject to home detention,
electronic monitoring, posting $100,000 of his own money and release
into a rabbi's custody.
The Myerses propose they be released after posting bond with their own
money -- putting up their apartment, their sailboat and $250,000 in
cash. They would have to surrender all travel documents and not apply
for new documents.
They would be released into the custody of Brad Trebilcock, Gwendolyn
Myers' son, and would be held under electronic monitoring, for which
they would pay.
Facciola said last week that he feared the Myerses live too close to the
Cuban Interests Section in Washington to be apprehended if they decide
to flee there. The couple says in court documents they could be ordered
to stay away from the building or serve house arrest ``at least 20 miles
from the Cuban Interests Section.''
They would also agree to stay at least 20 miles from their sailboat in
Annapolis and to surrender ``all maps or other navigational equipment
related to Cuba's navigable waters.''
In a search of the Myerses home, investigators say they found an entry
on their calendar for a sailing trip to the Caribbean in November. They
also found sailing charts for Cuban waters, a travel guide to Cuba and a
book titled On Becoming Cuban.
Accused Cuban spies seek house arrest - Breaking News - MiamiHerald.com
(17 June 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1101146.html
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