Dozens of American Fugitives on the Lam in Cuba

Oct. 13, 2009— -- The surrender this weekend of Luis Armando Peña Soltren, 66, to U.S. authorities in New York ended a 40-year quest to bring the hijacker to justice.

Soltren pleaded not guilty today in a Manhattan federal courtroom and remanded to jail cell.

There are believed to be dozens of other Americans living in Cuba beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. Most of them have been holed in Cuba for decades, with many living casually in plain sight. Others, however, are taking no chances and living deep underground.

The best known American fugitive still hiding out in Cuba is JoanneChesimard, 62, also known as Assata Shakur.

Chesimard, a member of the radical activist organization the Black Liberation Army, was found guilty of first degree murder in the shooting death of a New Jersey state trooper in 1977. She escaped from prison in 1979 and was last seen in Cuba in 1984. She is widely believed to still be living underground in Cuba.

"Chesimard is definitely one of the top people on the list of fugitives," said Camila Gallardo, spokesperson for the Cuban American National Foundation.

The FBI has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her capture.

"She has been living in Cuba for decades under the protection of [President Fidel] Castro. In the beginning, the fugitives were treated well and he utilized them to thumb his nose at the U.S," she said.

Among the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives – a list that includes Osama bin Laden – is Victor Manuel Gerena. Gerena has been on the lam since 1984 after being accused of stealing $7 million in the heist of the Wells Fargo armored car depot in Connecticut to finance a Puerto Rican separatist group.

Gerena has the dubious distinction of being second only to one other fugitive for the most number of years spent on the most wanted list.

He is believed to be still living in Cuba, and the FBI has offered up to $1 million for information leading to his capture.