‘Yonyon’ found guilty of kidnapping 16 U.S. missionaries in Haiti

A U.S. jury has found Germine Joly, known as “Yonyon,” guilty of organizing the kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in 2021 and holding them hostage for more than two months.

Germine Joly, whom authorities said led the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti, will be sentenced later this year following Friday’s conviction at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C.

Joly, who has denied involvement with the gang, was sentenced to 35 years in prison last year after pleading guilty to weapons smuggling and the laundering of ransom related to the mass kidnapping.

Joly was co-leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, which translates roughly to “400 simpletons.” 

It controls part of Croix-des-Bouquets, a neighborhood in the eastern region of the Port-au-Prince capital and surrounding areas.