An ex-Black Panther, back from Cuba, pleaded not guilty in federal court on Wednesday to hijacking a plane in 1984. He is accused of hijacking a U.S. plane and forcing it to fly to Cuba, where he was arrested after landing.
William Potts, 56, who spent nearly 30 years in Cuba, made his plea at court in Miami. During the hearing he learned that he is also being charged with a 1984 robbery in New Jersey.
Pott’s public defender, Paul Korchin, convinced the judge to postpone the bail hearing in light of the New Jersey charges. The alleged hijacker was appointed a public defender after telling the court that he earns the equivalent of $10 a month.
“With total respect, I have to protest these proceedings,” Potts said in a previous court proceeding before he was cut off by the judge.
Potts was tried in Cuba and sentenced to 13 years in jail for air piracy. He admitted believing that he would be treated with leniency once he arrived in Cuba but found himself behind bars instead. After he was released from jail, he married and had two daughters who both currently live in the U.S.
The indictment against Potts alleges that he handed a flight attendant a note saying he had explosives on board and forced the plane to fly to Havanna. During the hijacking, Potts also allegedly demanded a $5 million dollar ransom.
He says he came back to the U.S. because he wants “closure.” Potts told CNN that he regrets having hijacked the plane and hopes that whatever prison sentence he gets is reduced by the amount of jail time he has already served in Cuba.
