Watergate Burglars: Where Are They Now? - East Idaho News
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Watergate Burglars: Where Are They Now?

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GETTY P 033111 RichardNixon?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1339956078496David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Forty years after their arrest for breaking into the Democratic National Committee office at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., June 17, 1972, the five men convicted of committing the burglaries moved past the scandal that devastated the Nixon administration record. Here’s an update on what became of them:

Bernard L. Barker: Deceased

Barker was originally a real-estate agent from Miami, as well as a former Central Intelligence Agency operative. He was said to have been involved in the Bay of Pigs incident in 1962. After the Watergate scandal, Barker worked as a housing inspector and zoning consultant and he became a well-known progressive in the anti-Castro community in Miami.

Barker died in 2009 at his home in Miami from complications of lung cancer and had suffered from heart problems. Barker never apologized for his crime but instead publicly stated: “To me, a burglar is a guy who goes into your bedroom at night and steals your family jewels,” he said. “I could never do that.”

Virgilio Gonzalez: Age 86

A locksmith, Gonzalez fled to Miami in 1959 after Castro’s takeover. Gonzalez was later suspected of involvement in JFK’s assassination. Gonzalez is still pro-American and anti-Castro. He is 86 years old, working as a mechanic and living with his wife of 10 years in Miami.

James W. McCord: Age 88

Pre-Watergate, McCord was a security coordinator for the Republican National Committee and the Committee for the Re-election of the President. McCord was also a former FBI and CIA agent. He was dismissed from his RNC and CREEP positions the day after the break-in. After the scandal, McCord published a book titled “A Piece of Tape: The Watergate Story — Fact and Fiction.” McCord now resides in Rockville, Md.

Eugenio R. Martinez: Age 89

Martinez worked for Barker’s Miami real estate firm. At the time of the burglary, the anti-Castro Cuban exile was working with the CIA. Click here to read Martinez’s account of the burglary. He served 15 months for his role in the scandal. Martinez is living in Miami, where he works in the real estate business.

Frank A. Sturgis: Deceased

Born Frank Fiorini, Sturgis was another associate of Barker’s from Miami. Sturgis had CIA connections and was also involved in anti-Castro activities. Sturgis was released from prison in January 1974. After his release, Sturgis held down a string of sales jobs for a few years with a number of firms in Miami. Starting in 1976, Sturgis was embroiled in controversy over the assassination of JFK. Despite suspicion, Sturgis routinely denied any involvement in the assassination. Sturgis spent the later years of his life in and out of South America, where he trained rebel forces. He died of cancer in Miami Dec. 4, 1993, days before his 69th birthday.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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