NY Court Sentences Former Honduran President Hernandez to 45 Years in Prison
Juan Orlando Hernandez (C). Photo: X/ @porttada
June 26, 2024 Hour: 2:23 pm
He is a ‘two-faced politician hungry for power,’ said Judge Castel.
On Wednesday, Peter Kevin Castel, judge of the Southern District of New York, sentenced former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez to 45 years in prison and five more years of supervised release for several crimes related to drug trafficking and the use of weapons.
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Although the Prosecutor’s Office requested a life sentence for Hernandez, the Southern District of New York Court only imposed that sentence and a fine of US$8 million.
Among the Hondurans who were at the entrance, about twenty with flags of their country, there were no apparent celebrations, perhaps because they expected a less favorable sentence.
Within a period of 120 days, Judge Castel will announce in which prison Hernandez should serve his sentence. Currently, the 55-year-old former Honduran citizen remains detained in Brooklyn jail.
Before announcing the sentence, the judge said that Hernandez was “a two-faced politician hungry for power”: with one face he proclaimed his commitment against drug trafficking, and with the other one he facilitated the export of tons of cocaine to the United States.
“To those who are educated and well dressed, do not think that you are going to escape accusations,” Judge Castel said as a message to white-collar criminals.
Hernandez, who had a very aged appearance and used a cane, listened to the sentence almost without flinching. He used his turn to speak only to ask if he could keep Renato Stabile as his lawyer, to which Castel answered affirmatively at least until the appeal lasts, if it occurs.
Autor: teleSUR/ JF
Fuente: EFE - TRIB Live
