Virgilio "Villo" R. González (May 18, 1926 – July 16, 2014) was a Cuban-born political activist, locksmith, and one of the five men arrested at the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

headquarters at the

Watergate complex The Watergate complex is a group of six buildings in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Covering a total of 10 acres (4 ha) just north of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the buildings incl ...

on June 17, 1972. The break-in led to the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

and the eventual resignation of United States President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

two years later.

Life before activism

González was originally from Cuba. He was reported to have been a house painter and barber, and to have fled Cuba after

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

took over the country in 1959. González was a personal driver for Felipe Vidal Santiago.

Anti-government work

After arriving in Miami González became involved with the anti-Castro movement in the United States and continued to work as a locksmith. His skills were greatly desired so he was recruited by an organization that did dirty work for the Nixon White House. This organization was run by

E. Howard Hunt Everette Howard Hunt Jr. (October 9, 1918 – January 23, 2007) was an American intelligence officer and author. From 1949 to 1970, Hunt served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), particularly in the United States involvem ...

, referenced by his old CIA code name "Eduardo". Hunt was well known among the group of burglars due to his involvement in the

Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called ''Invasión de Playa Girón'' or ''Batalla de Playa Girón'' after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, covertly fina ...

according to Euginio Martínez.

Watergate involvement

Due to his skills as a locksmith and his connection to

Eugenio Martínez Eugenio Rolando Martínez CareagaSam Roberts''The New York Times'', February 2, 2021. (alias Musculito, July 8, 1922 – January 30, 2021) was a member of the anti-Castro movement in the early 1960s, and later was one of the five men recruited ...

, González was recruited to the crew of Watergate burglars. The first attempt at the break-in was at 12 o'clock at night. This failed when González did not have the right tools to get into the Democratic party office. Because of this, Hunt had González go back to his shop in Miami to gather the correct tools for the door. They returned and attempted the break-in once again. This time González was successful in picking the locks and they were able to place bugs in three of the phones in the headquarters. The group was required to break in once again, to take 1,440 photos of Democratic Party papers, and to retrieve the bugs planted before. González had no problems with the lock this time having cracked it before. The group noticed that one of the three bug tapes placed before had gone missing. The group instead of taking the warning decided to continue taking pictures of the documents. Shortly afterward the group were discovered and arrested. He pleaded guilty and spent a 13-month stint in prison for his crimes. González was portrayed in ''

All the President's Men ''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists who investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building and the resultant political scandal for ''The Washington ...

'', the 1976 film retelling the events of the Watergate scandal, by Nate Esformes.

Post scandal

After serving his sentence in prison for the burglary, González reportedly disliked talking to reporters about the Watergate scandal. In 2012, it was reported that he was living in Miami with his second wife. González left the lock picking business and later ran a mechanic shop, and when asked if he was happy, responded "Of course, I am living again". He died in Miami on July 16, 2014, the age of 88.Eugenio Martínez, Last of the Watergate Burglars, Dies at 98
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Virgilio 1926 births 2014 deaths People convicted in the Watergate scandal Watergate Seven Florida Republicans Activists from Florida

Life before activism

Anti-government work

Watergate involvement

Post scandal

See also

References