A Cuban pilot facing charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals — part of former Cuban President Raúl Castro’s recent indictment over the fatal shooting of two U.S. civilian planes in 1996 — was sentenced Thursday in connection with a separate immigration fraud case.

Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez was sentenced to seven months in prison for providing false information to U.S. immigration authorities last year when he applied for permanent residency. He is expected to only serve about 10 more days in prison since he has already served some time.

The Justice Department indicted González-Pardo Rodríguez on immigration fraud charges on Nov. 6, alleging he lied about his prior membership in the Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force to immigration authorities. He was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, the following day.

The indictment was filed after the federal government declassified photographs that showed González-Pardo Rodríguez wearing an olive-green military flight suit next to a fighter jet with Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez, another Cuban pilot indicted alongside Castro on charges of conspiracy, murder and destruction of aircraft in connection with the 1996 incident.

Four Cuban exiles who lived in the U.S. were killed on Feb. 24 of that year after the Cuban military shot down their civilian planes. The men belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a group strongly opposed to the Cuban government.

Cuba said the planes had violated its airspace, though two reports, including one from the United Nations, concluded the planes had been in international waters when Cuba shot them down. The incident led to strong condemnation from the U.S. and to the passage of a law tightening the embargo and sanctions against Cuba.

In February, González-Pardo Rodríguez accepted a guilty plea deal in the immigration fraud case.

He appeared for his sentencing hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Jacksonville on Thursday morning wearing an orange prison uniform and shackled at the feet.

González-Pardo Rodríguez expressed regret during the hearing. He apologized for concealing his military background. In court, his lawyers said he did so out of fear of losing the opportunity to remain in the U.S. after leaving Cuba about three years ago in pursuit of a dignified life with his family.

According to court records, González-Pardo Rodríguez arrived in the U.S. in 2023 under humanitarian parole with his daughter and son-in-law. They were both present at Thursday’s sentencing as well as González-Pardo Rodríguez’s sisters, who are both U.S. citizens.

His daughter and one of his sisters asked the court for leniency and stated that he is the family’s main financial provider.

In court, prosecutors said González-Pardo Rodríguez’s plea and sentencing agreement was negotiated before last week’s indictment over his alleged role in Cuba’s 1996 downing of the two U.S. civilian planes.

Judge Wendy W. Berger insisted both cases are independent of each other, but she referred to the second pending case when she concluded Thursday’s sentencing.

“They are waiting for you in Miami,” Berger said, suggesting González-Pardo Rodríguez could be transferred to U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the court overseeing the second case.