US judge sentences Germine Joly, former leader of a powerful gang in Haiti, to 35 years in prison
By Dánica Coto, The Associated Press on June 24, 2024.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A man who once described himself as “king” 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 “Yonyon,” 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 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 and the kidnapping of U.S. citizens, whose ransoms finance the purchase of illegal arms and ammunition. 4-3
