NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A defiant former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hern谩ndez was sentenced in New York Wednesday to 45 years in prison for teaming up with some bribe-paying drug traffickers for over a decade to ensure over 400 tons of cocaine made it to the United States.
Judge P. Kevin Castel sentenced Hern谩ndez to 45 years in a U.S. prison and fined him $8 million, saying that the penalty should serve as a warning to 鈥渨ell educated, well dressed鈥� individuals who gain power and think their status insulates them from justice when they do wrong.
A jury convicted him in March in Manhattan federal court after a , which was .
鈥淚 am innocent," Hern谩ndez said through an interpreter at his sentencing. "I was wrongly and unjustly accused.鈥�
In a lengthy extemporaneous statement interrupted several times by the judge who repeatedly reminded him that this was not a time to relitigate the trial, Hern谩ndez portrayed himself as a hero of the anti-drug trafficking movement who teamed up with American authorities under three U.S. presidential administrations to reduce drug imports.
But the judge said trial evidence proved the opposite and that Hern谩ndez employed 鈥渃onsiderable acting skills鈥� to make it seem that he was an anti-drug trafficking crusader while he deployed his nation's police and military, when necessary, to protect the drug trade.
Castel called Hern谩ndez a 鈥渢wo-faced politician hungry for power" who protected a select group of traffickers.
As the sentence was announced, the bespectacled Hern谩ndez in a dull green prison uniform stood next to his lawyer in front of two U.S. marshals. After shaking hands with his lawyer and turning to nod toward the packed spectator section, Hern谩ndez hobbled out of court with the help of a cane and a brace on one foot.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of life in prison, plus 30 years, the same as the recommendation from the court's probation officers.
Hern谩ndez, 55, served two terms as the leader of the Central American nation of roughly 10 million people.
He was arrested at his home in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, three months after leaving office in 2022 and in April of that year.
U.S. prosecutors say Hern谩ndez worked with drug traffickers as long ago as 2004, taking millions of dollars in bribes as he rose from rural congressman to president of the National Congress and then to the country鈥檚 highest office.
Hern谩ndez acknowledged in trial testimony that drug money was paid to virtually all political parties in Honduras, but he .
Hern谩ndez insisted in his lengthy statement Wednesday that his trial was unjust because he was not allowed to include evidence that would have caused the jury to find him not guilty. He said he was being persecuted by politicians and drug traffickers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as if I had been thrown into a deep river with my hands bound,鈥� he said.
In Honduras Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Laura Dogu called the sentencing an important step in combating the social consequences of drug trafficking.
"Here in Honduras and in the United States, we cannot forget that the actions of Juan Orlando have made the people suffer,鈥� Dogu said.
Luis Romero, a Honduran criminal lawyer and analyst, said the sentence was a surprise to many people in Honduras who believed he would receive a life sentence.
At a news conference in Honduras, Hern谩ndez's wife, Ana Garc铆a, said her husband was innocent and called the sentencing a 鈥渏udicial lynching.鈥� Garc铆a 鈥� who is planning to next year 鈥� said she looked forward to her husband鈥檚 appeal.
鈥淭oday is only a chapter in a series of injustices,鈥� she said.
Trial witnesses included traffickers who admitted responsibility for dozens of murders and said Hern谩ndez was an enthusiastic protector of some of the world鈥檚 most powerful cocaine dealers, including notorious Mexican drug lord Joaqu铆n 鈥淓l Chapo鈥� Guzm谩n, who is serving a life prison term in the U.S.
During his remarks, the judge noted that Guzman had given a $1 million bribe in 2013 directly to Hern谩ndez's brother, Juan Antonio 鈥淭ony鈥� Hern谩ndez, a former Honduran congressman who was in a U.S. prison in 2021 in New York for his own conviction .
Hern谩ndez shook his head when he heard Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Gutwillig tell the judge that he chose to 鈥渃ommit evil.鈥�
鈥淣o one, not even the former president of a country, is above the law,鈥� Gutwillig said.
Hern谩ndez was sentenced in a federal courthouse less than two blocks from where former U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced July 11 following his conviction on charges of falsifying business records.
As he announced the sentence, Castel spoke at length about the ways Hern谩ndez had received a fair trial and described much of the key evidence that emerged at trial to prove guilt.
Castel described the number of killings linked to the drug trade during Hern谩ndez's political career as 鈥渟taggering,鈥� saying one drug trafficking witness admitted at the trial that he aided 56 killings and another said he was involved in 78 murders before he began cooperating with U.S. authorities.
He noted that Hern谩ndez only helped the drug traffickers who aided his political ambitions, and not all the time.
鈥淣o, he was too smart for that,鈥� Castel said. The judge said Hern谩ndez aided traffickers whenever he could.
鈥淗is No. 1 goal was his own political survival,鈥� Castel said.
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Associated Press Writer Marlon Gonz谩lez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, contributed to this report.
Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
