May 08--A former Coral Springs firefighter/paramedic was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday for being an armed escort for a man he thought was dealing drugs. Santiago Gonzalez came to the attention of federal agents when an informant said he bragged that he played a role in the beheading murders of a South Florida couple.
Though the charges Gonzalez pleaded guilty to earlier this year were shocking enough -- attempted drug-trafficking and a weapons offense -- the claim that he was involved in the bizarre crimes featured in the "Pain & Gain" movie, now playing in theaters, catapulted his case to a more sensational level.
A teary Gonzalez, 49, of Davie, blew kisses to his family and waved to some former colleagues from the fire department during his sentencing hearing in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.
"I truly and sincerely apologize," Gonzalez said. "I have completely devastated, shocked and broken the hearts of all who love, care and depend on me."
The informant, who Gonzalez considered a family friend for 15 years, was working under cover for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The informant told agents that Gonzalez claimed -- off tape -- that he was involved in "numerous armed kidnappings and robberies" and the murders of a wealthy Hungarian couple, as well as the disposal of their bodies. Prosecutors did not charge Gonzalez with anything to do with the homicides.
The gruesome murders of Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton in 1995 are part of the bizarre tale featured in "Pain & Gain," an action movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson that was filmed in South Florida and opened in movie theaters two weeks ago.
The couple's bodies were dismembered, stuffed into 55-gallon oil drums and dumped in a canal on the edge of the Everglades in Miami-Dade County. Their severed heads -- with their teeth pulled out so that it would be more difficult to identify them -- were found near Interstate 75 in Broward County. Three men, who were part of the Miami Lakes Sun Gym crew, were convicted for their roles in the murders. Two of them are on death row.
Gail Levine, a Miami-Dade assistant state attorney who prosecuted the murder cases, said Tuesday that Gonzalez was a friend of John Raimondo, a former Miami-Dade County jail guard who pleaded guilty to a lesser role in the case -- kidnapping -- and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Gonzalez and Raimondo were workout buddies at the Sun Gym at that time and Gonzalez was interviewed by detectives during the investigation, she said.
"But I have no credible information that links Mr. Gonzalez to the murders," Levine said in an interview Tuesday.
In a letter Gonzalez wrote to the judge, he identified the informant in the drugs and weapon case as Tony Lopez. Gonzalez wrote that he let Lopez, 34, a tow truck driver from Southwest Ranches, live rent-free in a family member's house and claimed Lopez set him up after failing to pay a $5,000 utilities bill. Gonzalez previously said that Lopez made up the allegations about him claiming to be involved in the murders and disposal of the bodies.
Intrigued by the informant's allegations about Gonzalez, the ATF agents set up a scenario last year where Gonzalez agreed to be an armed guard helping to deliver more than 67 pounds of cocaine in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Gonzalez was caught on video and audio recordings talking about moving the drugs, which were actually sham cocaine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Coker wrote in court documents that Gonzalez was recorded at a meeting in a Miami Lakes cigar shop claiming he had guarded marijuana shipments in the past and offering to provide "armed protection services" at a cost of about $250 per pound of cocaine. He was recorded guarding the drugs four times between Sept. 6, 2012, and Jan. 24, when he was arrested.
U.S. District Judge William Zloch agreed to follow the recommendation negotiated by prosecutors and the defense in the plea agreement that Gonzalez be sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
About 20 family members and friends, including Gonzalez's wife, two of his four children, who range in age from 9 to 20, his mother, other relatives and some former colleagues from Coral Springs Fire Department supported him in court.
Dressed in beige scrubs, handcuffed, shackled and several pounds lighter than when he was arrested, Gonzalez struggled to hold in his emotions in court. He waved, blew little kisses, gave grateful nods to his supporters and begged for forgiveness.
He told the judge he was motivated by severe depression brought on by financial troubles caused by living a lifestyle he couldn't afford.
"Overwhelming stress and experimenting with drugs and alcohol overwhelmed my better judgment and for this I am sorry. I take full responsibility for my foolish actions and my bad decisions," Gonzalez said.
He has been jailed since his arrest and resigned in disgrace from his $65,430-a-year city job. Coral Springs personnel records show he previously had been disciplined and demoted for misconduct on the job.
"Brothers and sisters, we made a difference in the lives we saved and fought for the ones we couldn't. Please forgive me and watch over my family," Gonzalez said to his former colleagues in court.
pmcmahon@tribune.com, 954-356-4533 or Twitter @SentinelPaula
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