US court jails notorious Haitian gang leader

WASHINGTON (CMC):

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) says Joly Germine, described as the “king” of a violent Haitian gang, has been sentenced to 420 months in prison for his role in a gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti, in violation of US export laws.

The DOJ said Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was also jailed for laundering of ransoms paid for US hostages held by the notorious Haitian gang, ‘400 Mawozo’.

“A leader of the Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo will now spend 35 years in prison for a scheme to smuggle guns from the United States to Haiti using the proceeds extorted from kidnapping American citizens,” said US Attorney General, Merrick B. Garland.

“The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorise Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” he added.

The DOJ said that Eliande Tunis, 46, of Pompano Beach, Florida, who styled herself as Germine’s “wife” and was described at trial as the “queen” of 400 Mawozo, was sentenced on June 5 to 150 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy.

It said two other defendants in the conspiracy were also sentenced to jail time for their involvement.

The DOJ said the conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including weapons designed for the military and close-quarters combat such as AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti “to further their criminal activities.

In the fall of 2021, the DOJ said 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 US citizens hostage, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organisation visiting an orphanage in Port-au-Prince.

The DOJ said the gang demanded a ransom of US$1 million for each hostage, and that the hostages were all released or had escaped by on or about December 16, 2021.

The DOJ said while Germine has been charged in a separate indictment in relation to that hostage-taking incident, Monday’s sentencing does not address those charges, “which are lodged in case number 22-cr-161 in the US District Court for the District of Columbia”.