Former leader of powerful gang in Haiti sentenced to 35 years in prison – Sun Sentinel

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A man who once described himself as the “king” of a notoriously violent gang in Haiti and is linked to the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens was sentenced Monday to 35 years in prison by a federal court in Washington, DC.

Germine Joly, better known as “Yonyon”, pleaded guilty at the end of January to arms trafficking and ransom laundering linked to American citizens kidnapped in October 2021, putting an end to his trial in Washington.

The case against Joly is part of an ongoing campaign by U.S. authorities to stop arms smuggling from the United States to Haiti, where gangs control 80% of the capital and have left more than 580,000 people homeless as they continue to loot neighborhoods. to seize more territory. American authorities are also trying to suppress the kidnappings of American citizens in Haiti, whose ransoms finance the illegal purchase of weapons and ammunition.

“Violent gang leaders in Haiti who terrorize American citizens to fuel their criminal activities will face the full force of the Department of Justice,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

Joly, 31, had asked the judge for leniency and forgiveness, with his lawyers asking that he receive no more than 17.5 years in prison.

Joly was co-leader of the 400 Mawozo, which roughly translates to “400 Simpletons,” one of the most powerful gangs in Haiti. It controls part of Croix-des-Bouquets, a district in the eastern region of the capital Port-au-Prince and its surroundings. It also operates along a road that connects the capital to the border town of Jimaní in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

The gang is known for its high record of kidnappings as well as drug and arms trafficking, murders, rapes and armed robberies, among others, according to a UN report.

“The Mawazo 400 gang is not only wreaking havoc in its own communities, but also targeting innocent Americans living and traveling in Haiti,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

Three shipments containing contraband weapons and ammunition arrived in Haiti in 2021, shortly before the gang kidnapped 17 missionaries, including 16 U.S. citizens, the report noted. The guns alone were valued at about $28,000, he added.

“This single case indicates that 400 Mawozo are capable of mobilizing significant sums of money to acquire firearms and ammunition,” the UN report said.

The gang is still led by Joseph Wilson, better known as “Lanmò San Jou”, meaning “Death Has No Date”, and he is an ally of G-Pep, a powerful gang federation.

Haitian authorities announced an arrest warrant for Wilson in late 2020, but he has not yet been arrested.

Meanwhile, Haitian police arrested Joly in 2014 and 2018. A local judge sentenced him to life in prison, from where authorities said he still directed the gang's operations, including kidnapping in October 2021 of 12 adults and five minors after visiting an orphanage in the Croix-des-Bouquets district. The group included 16 Americans and one Canadian who worked with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries.

The organization said 12 of the captive missionaries escaped, and five others have already been freed, although it is unclear whether a ransom was paid.

In 2022, the US government extradited Joly.

Joly's former girlfriend, Eliande Tunis of Pompano Beach, was sentenced earlier this month to 12.5 years in prison. Tunis, 46, pleaded guilty at the end of January to the same charges against Germine.

US federal prosecutors had accused Joly, Tunis and two other suspects of purchasing and supplying weapons to the 400 Mawozo gang at least between March and November 2021.

The U.S. Justice Department said Joly, who was in prison in Haiti at the time, directed the operations using unmonitored cellphones.