{"id":1885,"date":"2022-04-22T14:39:58","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T18:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ielrblog.com\/?p=1885"},"modified":"2022-04-22T14:39:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T18:39:58","slug":"honduran-former-president-to-face-trial-in-new-york-federal-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ielrblog.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/22\/honduran-former-president-to-face-trial-in-new-york-federal-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Honduran Former President to Face Trial in New York Federal Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today, April 22, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) is expected to make an appearance at his first virtual court hearing tried in a federal court in New York.\u00a0 He is being charged with three counts: 1) conspiring to import cocaine into the United States which carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison; 2)using and carrying machine guns and destructive devices during, and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the cocaine importation conspiracy mentioned, which carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison; and 3) conspiring to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices during, and to possess machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of, the cocaine importation conspiracy, which carries a maximum life sentence.\u00a0 Sentencing will ultimately be determined by a federal district court judge considering U.S. Sentencing guidelines and other factors.<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In furthering the alleged cocaine trafficking conspiracy referenced all three charges, since at least 2004, JOH assisted multiple Honduran drug-trafficking organizations in receiving multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to later be trafficked to the United States.\u00a0 The DOJ indictment alleges that drug traffickers bribed JOH, who first served in the National Congress before his presidency, and other public officials in exchange for protection from investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout his public service career, Hernandez would abuse his office to thwart justice against his allies. This included enlisting heavily armed security to protect members of the drug trafficking conspiracy, assist in transporting and distributing cocaine shipments, interfere with drug trafficking investigations, and prevent U.S. requested extradition of suspected drug traffickers.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ indictment paints a relationship of mutual strengthening between JOH\u2019s political career and the drug trafficking conspiracy.\u00a0 In 2005, during Hernandez\u2019s first reelection campaign, he received, through Hernandez\u2019s brother Alvarado, a $40,000 bribe from Victor Hugo Diaz Morales (AKA \u201cEl Rojo\u201d), a drug trafficking organization leader.\u00a0 Returning the favor, Hernandez provided information and protection from Honduran law enforcement in transporting large quantities of U.S. bound cocaine.<\/p>\n<p>During JOH\u2019s 2009 campaign to become president of the Honduran National Congress, Diaz Morales allegedly bribed JOH $100,000 with the promise that he would appoint their favored officials to top law enforcement positions if successful.\u00a0 This provided the drug trafficking organizations information to assist in trafficking and about interdiction efforts of the Honduran National Police and Army.<\/p>\n<p>By 2013, Hernandez would ramp up his alleged corruption efforts as he began his first run for the Honduran presidency.\u00a0 In that year, he would allegedly accept a $1,000,000 bribe from Sinaloa Cartel leader Guzman Loera (AKA \u201cEl Chapo\u201d) paid through JOH\u2019s brother Alvarado who collected the bribe armed with machine guns.\u00a0 In exchange, JOH allegedly coordinated with other drug trafficking organizations to provide cocaine and armed security to the Sinaloa Cartel.\u00a0 Pertaining to the election, JOH would employ friendly national government officials to intimidate various municipalities which were deemed insufficiently supportive of him.\u00a0 Agents would also bribe officials to manipulate vote counts to Hernandez\u2019s benefit.\u00a0 According to the North American Congress on Latin America, the elections were \u201cfraught with irregularities and violent intimidation, threatening to throw the embattled nation into further political disarray.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allegations of intimidation and irregularities would continue into JOH\u2019s 2017 re-election campaign.\u00a0 The DOJ indictment alleges that he used $1.5 million in drug-trafficking proceeds to bribe politicians and election officials into supporting him in his re-election.<\/p>\n<p>The cards would begin tumbling down in 2018 after JOH\u2019s brother, Hernandez Alvarado, was charged in the Southern District of New York in connection with his participation in the cocaine-trafficking conspiracy.\u00a0 Alvarado was tried and convicted on October 18, 2019 and court filings produced in his trial would publicly name the former Honduran president as the defendant\u2019s co-conspirator.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after the end of his second term, JOH was indicted by grand jury for the charges mentioned and a warrant was issued for his arrest on January 27, 2022.\u00a0 On February 15, 2022, Honduran law enforcement authorities arrested the former president and the Honduran Supreme Court would later affirm the extradition request on March 28, 2022.<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In remarks delivered on April 21, 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says, \u201cHernandez abused his position as President of Honduras from 2014 through 2022 to operate the country as a narco state. . . We alleged that Hernandez corrupted legitimate public institutions in the country \u2013 including parts of the national police, military, and national Congress.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Analysis<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The indictment and extradition of the former president shows there is no impunity even for a former head of state.\u00a0 The developments illustrate how political winds can change: Hernandez and Trump lost elections.\u00a0 The Biden Administration has focused on cracking down on anti-corruption in the Northern Triangle, since corruption is seen as one of the root causes of illegal migration.\u00a0 The fact that Honduras so quickly extradited the former president is likely a wakeup call to other heads of state and political leaders in Central America.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> United States District Court Southern District of New York, <em>United States v. Juan Orlando Hernandez<\/em>, January 27, 2022. https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/press-release\/file\/1496076\/download<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> Bruce Zagaris, <em>Honduras Supreme Court Affirms Extradition of Former President to The United States<\/em>, IELR Vol. 38 Issue 4, April 8, 2022.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> Department of Justice, <em>Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks Announcing Charges Against Juan Orlando Hernandez, Former President of Honduras<\/em>, DOJ, April 21, 2022. https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/speech\/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-announcing-charges-against-juan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, April 22, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) is expected to make an appearance at his first virtual court hearing tried in a federal court in New York.\u00a0 He is being charged with three counts: 1) conspiring to import cocaine into the United States which carries a sentence of 10 years to life [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[162,34,36],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1885","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-department-of-justice","7":"category-drug-trafficking","8":"category-extradition","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- 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