Sunday’s New York Puerto Rican day parade is disgracefully honoring terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera whose FALN murdered my father Frank Connor at the bombing of New York’s Fraunces Tavern.  Please click on the photo to the right for a clip from Citizens United’s Hillary the Movie, shot at Fraunces Tavern, in which retired FBI agent Rick Hahn and I discuss the horrific Fraunces bombing.

Incredibly the unrepentant Lopez refused Bill Clinton’s 1999 clemency to  he and 15 of his  FALN terrorist comrades.  Lopez also refused to repent nor admit his leadership role in the FALN when a group of victims, family and I faced him at his 2011 parole hearing. We successfully kept him in prison.

Thursday night at the pre Puerto Rican day parade event at Gracie Mansion I introduced myself to NYC speaker and terrorist advocate Melissa Mark Viverito invoking my disgust for her support in releasing Lopez. She immediately snapped a lie that he was “only” convicted of Seditious Conspiracy, I snapped back that “that’s a lie” and she quickly moved from me saying “this is not the place for this.”  Little did I know that it was the place for that conversation as Lopez’s brother Jose and Viverito advocated his release to the attendees after I left. Her Seditious Conspiracy contention is a lie but even if it was true, it is no alibi.

The New York Post’s Phil Messing covered it today in Post Script’s Parade of Fools.

Terror supporters claim Lopez was never convicted of committing violent crimes. Because the FALN members were convicted and sentenced in Chicago to 55 to 70 years and more in prison, due to the economics of law enforcement they have not been tried for the Fraunces bombing.  It made no economic sense to return these terrorists to New York for a Fraunces trial when they were already sentenced essentially to life in prison.   As you see in my January 12, 2014 Op Ed in The NY Post, Lopez was convicted of being a part of a conspiracy that committed 28 bombings in Chicago severely injuring several people.  He was specifically found guilty of Seditious Conspiracy, use of force to commit robbery, interstate transportation of firearms, and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property.    He was sentenced to a further 15 years for an audacious escape attempt involving heavy weapons and the plan to kill prison guards.  Remember Osama bin Laden didn’t fly the planes on 9/11.

Lopez claims to represent the Puerto Rican people for their independence when over 60 percent on the island voted for statehood in 2012 and only 5 percent ever voted for independence.  Lopez and the FALN had no plans to free Puerto Ricans but rather to enslave them to their Marxist ideology.

It is sad that the good people of Puerto Rican ancestry are not being told the truth by Ms. Viverito and terror supporters about who Oscar Lopez really is. The fact that even the parade’s promotional material conspicuously leaves out facts such as Lopez’s refusal of presidential clemency and his violent plans to escape from prison, tells me they cannot defend Lopez based on the facts. Only through lies can they hope to gain support for his release.

If Oscar Lopez Rivera truly has no blood on his hands and is a peaceful, just man, as speaker Viverito and Lopez supporters claim, why has he never repented, never provided information nor testified as to who committed the horrendous crimes of the FALN including the murders at Fraunces Tavern?

If Lopez admitted his past, repented, cooperated and sincerely sought forgiveness we may well find it in our hearts to let it go.

 

Given the recent Taliban 5 terrorist releases this story may have only begun.

 

Summary:

Who are the FALN?

FALN bomb kills 4 and injuries more than 50 others at Fraunces Tavern January 24, 1975
In a note police found in a phone booth nearby, the FALN wrote, “we … take full responsibility for the especially detornated (sic) bomb that exploded today at Fraunces Tavern, with reactionary corporate executives inside.”

The FALN carried out a reign of terror in America from 1974 through 1983 conducting 114 bombings including the infamous January 24, 1975 lunchtime bombing of historic Fraunces Tavern in New York City that killed four innocent people including Frank Connor, and wounded scores.

Please know the truth about Oscar Lopez Rivera:
Oscar Lopez Rivera had his chance for freedom but refused President Clinton’s 1999 Clemency Offer:  That fact has been conspicuously omitted from materials supporting a second clemency offer to Lopez.

Mr. Lopez was a leader of the FALN:  At his 2011 Parole Hearing, Lopez claimed that he turned down President Clinton’s 1999 clemency grant because his comrade Carlos Torres was not granted clemency.  Certainly remaining in prison was the act of a leader (the captain goes down with the ship) especially since the other FALN members eventually accepted clemency and were released from prison.

Lopez’s FALN murdered people in cold blood:  Under the law, all who join conspiracies (leaders or not) are guilty of all of the crimes that occur within that conspiracy.  They need not be present when the acts occur to be guilty.  By joining the conspiracy at any time (let alone founding the conspiracy as Lopez did), they take full responsibility for all of the crimes of the conspiracy.   Bin Laden did not fly the planes on 9/11 yet he was killed before even facing trial. Lopez had a trial.

Mr. Lopez’s sentence was not disproportionately lengthy:  The argument of a long sentence was proffered by the nine other FALN members who were convicted in the same indictment as Lopez, and who accepted clemency from President Clinton in 1999.  An in-depth investigation of those sentences was conducted by The United States Sentencing Commission who concluded “…the federal sentencing guidelines would call for sentences as long as or longer than those actually imposed, if the defendants had been sentenced under current law.”

Mr. Lopez attempted 2 escapes from prison:  At Lopez’s direction, three of the few remaining FALN terrorists attempted a 1983 armed break out of Lopez from Leavenworth prison.

In 1985, Lopez hatched a second plan with a small group of other inmates that included flying a helicopter to the prison to affect escape.  Lopez’s list of materials to be used in the escape plot included grenades, rifles, plastic explosives, bulletproof vests, blasting caps and armor-piercing rockets. The FBI had known of the plot since the beginning, and made arrests in 1986.  Mr. Lopez was sentenced to an additional 15 years for this escape attempt.

There are no credible claims of support from various “prominent personalities:”   Who are these “prominent” personalities?  Under what pretense have they supported Lopez’s release? Do they know the facts or have they relied on the half-truths and outright lies like those refuted in on this page?

Oscar Lopez who never expressed remorse for his actions, (nor do his supporters) interacts with his family, is treated like a hero while those who were senselessly murdered on January 24, 1975 are ignored.

Four family members, FALN victims and I faced Lopez Rivera at his 2011 parole hearing in Federal Prison. We were willing to forgive him that day but he lied and obfuscated instead of seeking forgiveness.

He once refused freedom already. Certainly their are more worthy people deserving of this parade’s honor.

https://thenewfounders.org/deny-release-oscar-lopez-law-enforcement-victims