Many in South Florida see the four as heroes. Shortly after the convictions last April, more than 400 people turned up at a US$100-a-plate fund-raiser in Miami to help cover the costs of an appeal. Their sentences ranged from seven to eight years.
With the pardon, no appeal was needed, and there were hugs and handshakes last Thursday as a welcoming crowd greeted the three exiles at Opa-locka Airport in Miami.
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