Haitian Gang Leader Receives Life Sentence for Kidnapping American Missionaries
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A U.S. federal judge has sentenced Haitian gang leader Joly Germine to life in prison. The sentence is for his role in orchestrating the 2021 kidnapping of 16 American missionaries.
The hostages included five children. Armed gang members abducted the group near Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
Germine led the "400 Mawozo" gang. He directed the kidnapping from a Haitian prison, where he was already detained on other charges. He used a contraband cell phone to communicate with his members.
A U.S. court convicted Germine of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking. This resulted in the mandatory life sentence. The kidnapping incident drew intense international attention and lasted for two months before all hostages were freed.