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ATLANTA (AP) #8212;A federal appeals court on Monday handed a partial victory toa professional sports agent who was sentenced to prison for smuggling five Cubanbaseball players into Florida.The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Gustavo #8220;Gus #8221; Dominguez #8217;sconviction on charges of transporting and harboring aliens. But the three-judgepanel #8217;s decision let stand his co college football results nvictions on smuggling charges.Dominguez was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted inApril 2007 of paying for the players to be smuggled by boat from Cuba in 2004.He was released early from his term in January and his attorney Ben Kuehne saidMonday he was thrilled with the court #8217;s decision even though Dominguez isalready free. #8220;Justice delayed is better than no college football results justice at all, #8221; said Kuehne.Dominguez was known throughout the industry for negotiating the contract forRene Arocha, the first Cuban player to defect to the United States. He used thatas a platform to build a successful business in Los Angeles that representedmore than 100 athletes, including several Cuban baseball defectors.But he became almost as well-known for the conviction, which cast college football results a pallover agents who handled Cuban players, as none wanted to be the target of afederal investigation.At the trial, defense attorneys tried to paint Dominguez as a man dedicatedto helping oppressed Cuban players. They said he let the players stay in hisCalifornia house, taught them how to use a bank account and showcased thembefore Major League scouts.But prosecutors countered that he violated fe college football results deral immigration law andendangered the lives of the athletes in pursuit of a profit when he helpedorganize two trips to smuggle the athletes from Cuba to Miami in 2004. They alsosaid he broke federal law when he harbored them in Los Angeles while they waitedto apply for asylum.The 11th Circuit #8217;s decision concluded there wasn #8217;t enough evidence tosupport his conviction on charges of tra college football results nsporting and harboring aliens, partlybecause there was no indication the players actively tried to avoid immigrationofficials once they reached California.But the panel #8217;s decision refused to overturn Dominguez #8217;s other convictions,concluding there was ample evidence that Dominguez #8220;knew or recklesslydisregarded #8221; the fact that the Cubans didn #8217;t have permission to enter college football results the U.S.Kuehne said he is considering whether to ask the full 11th Circuit toconsider the case after he reviewed a 67-page dissent written by U.S. CircuitJudge Gerald Bard Tjoflat, who argued that all of Dominguez #8217;s convictions shouldbe invalidated. #8220;At a time when immigration hysteria rules the country, a thoughtfulapproach to our immigration laws warrants the consideration that the e college football results ntirecourt should provide, #8221; Kuehne said.Follow Bluestein at http://www.twitter.com/bluestein Follow Yahoo! Sports' MLB coverage on Twitter. Updated 3 hours, 4 minutes ago college football results
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