SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) 鈥� A man who once described himself as 鈥渒ing鈥� of a notoriously violent gang in Haiti and is linked to the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens was sentenced to 35 years in prison Monday in a federal court in Washington, D.C.
Germine Joly, best known as 鈥淵onyon,鈥� had pleaded guilty in late January to weapons smuggling and the laundering of ransoms related to the U.S. citizens kidnapped in October 2021, bringing his trial in Washington, D.C. to a halt.
The case against Joly is part of an ongoing push by U.S. authorities to halt the smuggling of weapons from the U.S. to Haiti, where gangs control 80% of the capital and have left more than 580,000 people homeless as they continue to pillage neighborhoods in a quest to seize more territory. U.S. officials also are trying to crack down on the kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Haiti, whose ransoms finance the purchase of illegal arms and ammunition.
鈥淭he leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department," U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
Joly, 31, had asked the judge for leniency and forgiveness, with his attorneys requesting that he receive no more than 17.5 years in prison.
Joly was co-leader of the 400 Mawozo, which translates roughly to 鈥�400 Simpletons,鈥� one of Haiti鈥檚 most powerful gangs. It controls part of Croix-des-Bouquets, a neighborhood in the eastern region of the Port-au-Prince capital and surrounding areas. It also operates along a route that connects the capital with the border city of Jiman铆 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 trafficking of drugs and weapons, killings, rapes and armed robberies, among other things, according to a U.N. report.
鈥淭he 400 Mawazo gang not only wreaks havoc in its own communities but targets innocent Americans living and traveling in Haiti," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
Three shipments containing smuggled weapons and ammunition arrived in Haiti in 2021, shortly before the gang kidnapped 17 missionaries, including 16 U.S. citizens, the report noted. The weapons alone were estimated to cost roughly $28,000, it added.
鈥淭his single case indicates that 400 Mawozo is able to mobilize significant amounts of money to acquire firearms and ammunition,鈥� the U.N. report said.
The gang is still led by Joseph Wilson, best known as 鈥淟anm貌 San Jou,鈥� which means 鈥淒eath has no date,鈥� and it is an ally of G-Pep, a powerful gang federation.
Haitian authorities announced a warrant for Wilson in late 2020, but he has yet to be detained.
Meanwhile, Haitian police arrested Joly in 2014, and in 2018. A local judge sentenced him to life in prison, from where authorities said he still directed gang operations, including the October 2021 kidnapping of 12 adults and five minors after they visited an orphanage in the Croix-des-Bouquets area. 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, with five others previously freed, although it鈥檚 unclear if any ransom was paid.
In 2022, the U.S. government extradited Joly.
Joly鈥檚 former girlfriend, Eliande Tunis of Pompano Beach, Florida, had been sentenced earlier this month to 12.5 years in prison. Tunis, 46, had pleaded guilty in late January to the same charges Germine faced.
U.S. federal prosecutors had accused Joly, Tunis and two other suspects of buying and supplying weapons to the 400 Mawozo gang from at least March through November 2021.
The U.S. Justice Department said Joly, who was in prison in Haiti at the time, directed operations using unmonitored cell phones.
D谩nica Coto, The Associated Press
