A man who once described himself as the “king” of a notoriously violent Haitian gang 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.
Haitian gang leader Germine Joly, best known as “Yonyon,” had pleaded guilty in late January to weapons smuggling and laundering 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 stem 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 are also trying to crack down on the kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Haiti, whose ransoms finance the purchase of illegal arms and ammunition.
“The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize American 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.
Leader of one of Haiti’s most powerful gangs
Joly was co-leader of the 400 Mawozo, one of the most powerful Haitian gangs. The gang is known for its high record of kidnappings as well as trafficking drugs and weapons, killings, rapes, and armed robberies, among other crimes, according to a U.N. report.
“The 400 Mawozo 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 U.N. report noted.
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’s unclear if any ransom was paid.
“This single case indicates that 400 Mawozo is able to mobilize significant amounts of money to acquire firearms and ammunition,” the report stated.
In 2022, the U.S. government extradited Joly.
Joly’s 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 Joly faced.
Joly still faces separate charges in another case related to the kidnappings of the U.S. citizens.
