They were imprisoned for 62 evenings, hidden in an unidentified spot on the eastern border of Haiti’s money. At almost every switch, they were guarded, held at gunpoint and kept in such terrible circumstances that one of them developed many ulcers, another could not move and a fourth had serious health problems that went untreated.
They were able to leave in a unique, open, and desperate situation. Some people waved in the searing Creole moon while others held up” SOS” and” Assist Us” indicators in an effort to catch the attention of passing helicopters.
In the end, the majority of the 16 U. S. missionaries and one Canadian national who were kidnapped in October 2021 and held for ransom for two months by Haiti’s notorious 400 Mawozo gang were freed only after a$ 350, 000 ransom was paid. Because the group itself was such a well-oiled legal system, there were designated personnel to handle transportation like soap, toothpaste, and treatments for hostages, and crew members worked in shifts to protect them.
The whole ordeal and blatant for-ransom kidnapping plot, which caused the 400 Mawozo and Haiti’s theft illness, was all planned out for one person, according to prosecutors with the U.S. Justice Department’s defense on Thursday: Â Yonyon Joly, who is currently on test in a federal court in Washington, D.C.
Joly, who was in a Dominican prison at the time of the kidnappings, “intentionally, deliberately joined this violence with the intent to obtain it”, Assistant U. S. Attorney Karen Seifert told a 12-member federal judge after the state rested its situation.
Prosecutors had summoned two FBI agents to the stand to refute Joly’s claims the day before that he had not identified other gang members to the FBI while on a flight as he was being extradited from Haiti to the United States.
The defense questioned the agents and emphasized how the FBI had not “further explained” to Joly how his words could be used against him in addition to simply reading him his Miranda rights during the flight. FBI agents answered that Joly was read his rights in Haitian Creole and was told that he could stop the interview at any time but he chose not to.
Joly is accused of 16 counts of kidnappings involving the 16 U.S. citizens who are affiliated with the Mennonite community and who are already facing 35 years in prison after pleading guilty last year to a 48-count gunrunning conspiracy involving 400 Mawozo.
The gang leader’s fate now rests in the hands of a jury that will begin deliberating on Friday after a week of triials, which included testimony from several of the missionaries, some of the FBI agents who searched for them, and evidence of Joly’s own purported text messages showing his role.
During her closing arguments in U. S. District Judge John D. Bates ‘ courtroom on Thursday, Seifert said Joly was not only the leader of 400 Mawozo but he was referred to by its members as “king” and “boss”.
Seifert claimed that the missionaries were being held as a bargaining chip. She claimed as she recounted the testimony of hostage Rachel Miller that a gang member was in jail. That gang member was Joly himself, the prosecutor said.
Although 400 Mawozo initially requested a$ 17 million ransom for Joly’s release, prosecutors claimed it was all to put pressure on the Haitian prime minister’s Ariel Henry to release the group.
Joly’s crime, which placed him in a Haitian prison, is still unknown. Going into the trial U. S. officials could not say with certainty if he had been convicted of manslaughter in Haiti, and during his time on the stand, he refuted prosecutors ‘ claim that he had told the FBI he was in prison for murder.
Joly retorted to the court and told them that some of the things he had said to law enforcement as they flew him to the United States from Haiti were allegedly false. I didn’t murder anyone, I promise. This is absolutely false”.
He claimed that because of conspiracies against him, he was imprisoned in Haiti.
Allen H. Orenberg, Joly’s defense attorney, told the jury in closing that prosecutors had provided a lot of “red herrings” in their arguments but that they had only provided evidence that Joly was involved in the hostage taking.
Orenberg blamed the kidnappings on Lanmò Sanjou, the current leader of 400 Mawozo whom Joly told the court was his cousin.
Orenberg claimed that 400 Mawazo was not Joly’s creation, that he was “merely a spectator.”
According to Orenberg, none of the missionaries who testified heard any mention of Joly from their captors. While there are logs of calls from Joly’s phone in prison, no one knows what was discussed in the calls.
Jean” Zo”” Pelice” was one of the other witnesses who testified for the government. After being accused of kidnapping someone for his role in the armed kidnappings, Pelice, a 400 Mawozo gang member, was taken into U.S. custody in May of 2022.
He and another witness, Jonas Isidor, testified that Joly wanted a big ransom for the hostages ‘ release because the gang leader knew that no one could pay the amount and his ultimate goal was to use the missionaries as his ticket out of prison.
Because Pelice had his own criminal case, appeared confused, and was “easy to manipulate,” Orenberg, the defense attorney, claimed both men’s testimonies could not be given credence. He claimed that” Isidor had” incentives, such as being able to remain in the United States and obtain future immigration benefits to support the government’s position.
The 17 Christian missionaries were kidnapped on Oct. 16, 2021 on the eastern outskirts of Port-au-Prince. A Canadian national, five children, and married couples made up their group.
On November 20, two hostages were freed, and three more were freed on or around December 5, 2021.  , The remaining 12 didn’t make it out until Dec. 15, 2021.
Seifert cited some crucial points in the saga. Joly, she claimed, had agreed to kidnap the missionaries on October 16 in a partnership with Vitel’homme Innocent, the leader of the Kraze Barye gang, who is wanted by the FBI and has a$ 2 million bounty for his capture.
The plan was carried out by 400 Mawozo gang members named Koleg and Gaspiyay. The missionaries ‘ van was forced off National Road No. by gang members who had guns on their faces and were covered in their faces. 8 runs through the gangs ‘ operations in Croix-des-Bouquets, which connects the capital to the Dominican Republican.
One of the missionaries immediately texted their social media group informing everyone what was happening and asked for prayers. The missionaries were searched and their valuables taken two hours later. The hostages were then transported to” Location 1″, an undisclosed location where they were positioned against a wall, and one of the captors declared that it was the “last time you will see ( the others ) alive.”
The location, somewhere near the town of Ganthier, was a house with no windows and secured doors. The missionaries witnessed two bound people being taken outside and later heard gunshots. There were blood splatters and bullet holes on the walls. According to Seifert, call logs indicate that Joly, Lanmo Sanjou, and Vitel’homme have been in contact at this time.
That same day, part of the plot was unfolding 900 miles away in , Florida, prosecutors said: Pompano Beach resident Eliande Tunis, who fashioned herself as Joly’s” queen” and a leader of 400 Mawozo’s South Florida‘s offshoot, was supposed to secure the delivery of some guns. She communicated with Joly and later claimed that he was “holding a meeting about holding the missionaries.” A ransom demand of$ 17 million had been made by evening.
Over the next days and weeks, FBI agents engaged in a desperate search to locate the hostages. After Matthew fell ill and Rachel begged for their freedom on November 20, he and Rachel Miller were freed on November 20 after a number of failed negotiations. Isidor claimed that Joly had instructed him to let the ill missionaries leave.
On Dec. 5, another ransom agreement was made, Seifert said, acknowledging for the first time publicly that a$ 350, 000 payment was made to secure the rest of the hostages ‘ freedom.
However, Lanm Sanjou only desired the release of Katie Yoder and Cheryl Noecker as hostages. Noecker, however, wanted to bring her 6-year-old son Sheldon with her. After begging, she was allowed to, but as the two got in the car gang members attempted to pull the boy away.
Sheldon tried to hold on to the headrest of a seat as Noecker grabbed her son and left, according to Seifert. The other missionaries surrounded the two and demanded Sheldon’s release as well. As tensions ran high, the other children started to cry. 400 Mawozo gang members finally relented after a 30-minute standoff.
Seifert claimed that Lanm Sanjou made the final choice after making a phone call.
That call, she said, was to Joly, who made the decision.
The 12 hostages were not immediately freed after the ransom was paid. In fact, negotiations broke down and the gang remained silent. Days later, the missionaries emerged from a wooden field. Later, they claimed to have escaped at 2:30 a.m. by walking down a nearby stream, crossing it, and hiking through the bushes.
Then, one of them called the group’s director to come pick them up using$ 5, the only amount they had on hand.
Sources in Haiti, familiar with the events, said the missionaries ‘ release was made to resemble an escape by Lanmò Sanjou, who had gotten into a disagreement with Joly. According to several sources, Joly did not want to surrender his bargaining chip for his freedom despite receiving the ransom.
According to the prosecution, Joly directed the kidnappings at every step. His business, they stressed, was ransom from kidnappings, which were used to buy guns in the U. S. that were then smuggled into Haiti and used to carry out more kidnappings.
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