by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Jan 12 – After the president of Honduras' brother Tony Hernandez was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to life plus thirty years, on April 21, 2022 the ex-president himself, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was extradited to the United States.
[Espanol aqui]
Inner City Press which covered the trials of Tony Hernandez and Giovanny Fuentes Ramirez immediately published the unsealed JOH indictment, which was returned on January 27, 2022 but left under seal.
On June 29, 2023, the JOH trial was delayed: "Trial is scheduled for February 5, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 11D.
On November 22, 2023, the US Attorney's Office wrote in to say that while it will arrange for JOH to meet his lawyer in the SCIF the following week, he cannot see classified information there, unlike Joshua Schulte (about whom Inner City Press published a book, Brutal Kangaroo) and Cholo Abdi Abdullah. Letter on Patreon here.
On December 19, as to co-defendant Tigre Bonilla, Judge Castel ruled: "ORDER as to Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares; The trial of this action has been long set for February 5, 2024. The Court does not anticipate moving that trial date or granting a severance."
But on January 10 JOH and his lawyer asked for a seven week postponement. JOH says he no longer has money to pay his cleared counsel; he wants a publicly-paid CJA lawyer and seven additional weeks. Filings on Patreon here.
On January 12 Judge Castel denied delay, stating "Defendant’s complaints about his lawyer and his inability to finance adequately his legal team given the freeze of his assets does not provide a basis for granting his eve-of-trial request for appointed counsel and an adjournment" - full order on Patreon here.
The case is US v. Diaz Morales, et al., 15-cr-379 (Castel)
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