Thread by @innercitypress

OK - it's #NarcosHonduras trial Day 3 of testimony, with cooperator Leonel Rivera still testifying. He has cited Commissioner Martinez, a UN-trained drug helper, photo of his UN pin below. No answer from UN. Inner City Press will live tweet, thread below

Leonel Rivera cites, twice, "a corrupt police official, Avila Mesa."
Geovanny Fuentes' lawyers have no objection.
AUSA: What did "Metro" say about the meeting?
Leo Rivera: That Avila Mesa had brought the guns, and with the defendant, detained the men's car.

AUSA: Mr. Rivera, what can you say about the defendant bringing cocaine base to Honduras on boats?
Leo Rivera: I saw one of his boats in the Dep't of Cortez.
AUSA: Who was there?
Leo Rivera: Me, the defendant, Metro, & my brother Javier. And a woman Metro brought.

AUSA: Why were you at the marina?
Leo Rivera: I had a boat there I used to go fishing on.
AUSA: Why were the other men there?
Defense: Objection!
Judge Castel: I'll sustain that.
AUSA: What did the men say to you?
Leo Rivera: That they were going fishing.

AUSA: Did you discuss maritime cocaine transactions with the defendant?
Leo Rivera: Yes. He was importing cocaine from Colombia. He wanted me to lend him one million dollars.

AUSA: And did you lend the money?
Leo Rivera: No I did not.
AUSA: Metro was the owner of a night club in Chaloma. Did he have other businesses?
Leo Rivera: Yes. Narco-trafficking and he was the owner of Atletico Chaloma, also involving the defendant.
AUSA: Soccer?

Judge Castel: This witness is not an expert witness. Ask another question.
AUSA: Was the transfer of the soccer club before or after you learned that the police officer had been murdered?
Leo Rivera: Fue despues, senor.

Leo Rivero: Vacero was a hit man, mataba personas para sueldo, senor.
AUSA: Did you pay Vacero to kill people?
Leo Rivera: Si senor.
AUSA: How did you meet with Vacero about Pluto?
Leo Rivera: Hector Emilio set up the meeting. He was a narco trafficker in Honduras

Leo Rivera: There was also Rojo, an associate of Hector Emilio.
AUSA: Did you conduct drug trafficking with Rojo?
Leo Rivera: Si senor.
AUSA: What did Vacero tell you about Pluto?
Leo Rivera: That the defendant looked for Vacero, to get him to kill Pluto.

[This is it]
AUSA: Who is this?
Leo Rivera: Juan Orlando Hernandez, the president.
AUSA: Did the Cachiros bribed Juan Orlando Hernandez with drug money?
Leonel Rivera: Yes. [Si, senior] With $250,000.
AUSA: How was it delivered?
Leo Rivera: In cash. To his sister.

USA: What was the bribe for?
Leo Rivera: So that we would not be arrested or extradited.
AUSA: Do you recognize this person?
Leo Rivera: Tony Hernandez, the president's brother.
AUSA: Gov't offers Exhibit 113.
Defense: No objection.

AUSA: What did you give Tony Hernandez?
Leo Rivera: I gave him $50,000 in cash. In Tegucigalpa. In a restaurant named Denny's.

AUSA: Did the Cachiros bribe Mr. Zelaya?
Leo Rivera: Yes. To help a cousin of mine.
AUSA: Exh 502, do you recognize this person?
Leo Rivera: It is Ricardo Alvarez, vice president of Honduras.
AUSA: Did the Cachiros pay drug money to Mr. Alvarez?
Leo Rivera: Yes.

AUSA: Before you began speaking with the DEA, was there any action against you from the US?
Leo Rivera: Yes. OFAC mentioned me and my brother.

AUSA: So what did you decide to do?
Leo Rivera: I decided to turn myself in to the US DEA. I was charged to narco trafficking conspiracy.

AUSA: Is the murder of Metro listed in the appendix to your deal?
Leo Rivera: Yes.
AUSA: You described your plea as a cooperation agreement?
Leo Rivera: Yes. I have to tell the truth.

AUSA: Did you see the defendant in prison?
Leo Rivera: Yes. Twice. It was not supposed to happen. But it did.
AUSA: Have you been moved to a different jail since?
Leo Rivera: Yes.
AUSA: The first time, how did you see the defendant?
Leo Rivera: I went to shower

AUSA: Did you expect to see him there?
Leo Rivera: No. He started crying. Then he kept talking. He was bad-mouthing Juan Orlando Hernandez, for being in custody [preso]

AUSA: What did the defendant say about meetings he had before his arrest?
Leo Rivera: He said he met with Commissioner Martinez and un militar sent by Juan Orlando Hernandez to meet with the defendant.
AUSA: What did the defendant say about these meeting?

Leo Rivera: He said Juan Orlando Hernandez was offering $13 million for the businesses that he owned, for money laundering.
AUSA: What else?
Leo Rivera: The defendant said he met Juan Orlando Hernandez 2 times. In a house in Chaloma Cortez, a house of Senor Fouad

Leo Rivera: The defendant said he gave 450,000 lempiras to Juan Orlando Hernandez.
AUSA: And the second meeting?
Leo Rivera: That he, the defendant, & Fouad traveled to Tegucigalpa to pay another bribe to Juan Orlando Hernandez, for protection, not being arrested

AUSA: No further questions.
Judge Castel: Cross-examination, after we clean the microphone. Ladies and gentlemen, you can stand up and stretch.
Lawyers ask for a sidebar.

Cross-examination.
Defense lawyer: Mr. Rivera, you are a murderer, right?
Leonel Rivera: I *was* a murderer.
Defense lawyer: You killed 78 people. Those are the ones you remember?
Leo Rivera: Can you repeat the question?

Leo Rivera: The people I precipitated the death of, assisted by the narco politicians, numbered 78.
Defense lawyer: You know the number was 78?
Leo Rivera: It was 78.
Defense lawyer: That's not what I asked you. Did you know right away?
Leo Rivera: That was the #

Defense: You killed your own sister in law, right?
Leo Rivera: I don't remember killing my cunada, sir. [A small laugh] Oh actually, I did. She was trying to kill me and my brother Javier.
Defense: You killed cooperators, like El Chino, right?
Leo Rivera: Yes.

Judge Castel just called the lunch break. Inner City Press story coming soon. For now, song: soundcloud.com/innercitypress…

OK - we're back (after 15 min with UNeTV in Honduras, while today's UN won't say why it trained killed Commissioner Martinez & @AntonioGuterres covers up for JOH, at least #IMF took q today
Now Q&A is about another meeting Leo Rivera was at

https://twitter.com/innercitypress/status/1370082475238694913

Defense lawyer: So you spoke with the Montes'?
Leonel Rivera: Yes
Defense lawyer: And you spoke with the Valles? and Mr. Blanco? And Mr. Escalante? and you asked each one to contribute money to kill General Aristides?
Leo Rivera: I conveyed Najera's message

Defense lawyer: Are you claiming you don't remember how much you offered to pay to assassinate the general?
AUSA: Objection.
Judge Castel: On what basis?
AUSA (after a pause) Compound.
Judge Castel: I'll allow it.

Defense lawyer: Did you call Neftali and say what the price would be?
Leo Rivera: No, that is not correct.
Defense lawyer: Didn't you tell the government you did?
Leo Rivera: Sure, I met him at the gas station. He was in a car apart (un carro aparte)

Defense lawyer: And after the general was assassinated, you got congratulated and bragged about it, right?
Leo Rivera: Can you repeat the question?
Defense lawyer: Who were you referring to when you told Fredy Najara, This is the kind of people we have?

Leonel Rivera: I was referring to Moncada and Flores Maradiaga.
Defense lawyer: And you were proud. Your hit men.
Leonel Rivera: Well we used --
Judge Castel: I'm going to strike that. Answer the question that is asked. Do you understand?
Leo Rivera: Yes, sorry.

Defense lawyer: After your meeting with Neftali, you met that same night with Flores Maradiaga, right?
Leonel Rivera: Same day.
Defense lawyer: At a restaurant? With yet another hit man, who was also a policeman?
Leo Rivera: Si, senor.

Defense lawyer: And while you were meeting with them, some money was brought to you & you paid the murders, right?
Leo Rivera: Yes, that day. Between $300,000 & $350,000.
Defense lawyer: The general was killed after you parked his car?
Leo Rivera: I don't know.

Defense lawyer: Did you also tell the government that the general was killed while walking his dog?
Leo Rivera: It's that I don't remember.
Defense lawyer: It wasn't an important enough event in your life to remember?
Leo Rivera: I don't remember point by point

Defense lawyer: OK, who did you meet with, when you first met with the US?
Leonel Rivera: I don't remember. Various prosecutors, and the DEA, and my lawyer.
Defense: You were told if you lie, no deal - if you lie after, they'd rip it up, right?
Leo Rivera: Right.

Judge Castel has given the jurors their mid-afternoon break. Geovanny Fuentes' 2 lawyers talk with each other. Geovanny cites along in the middle of the defense table. Thread will continue. Here was UNeTV, en espanol:

https://twitter.com/innercitypress/status/1370089463720767488

We've back.
Defense: I want to ask you about the murder of Ramos Landaverde. I mean, Alberto Landaverde. Your Honor, I'm sorry.
Judge Castell: It required discipline. Ask a question.
Defense: I meant, Ramon Mata. You didn't tell the government you were involved?

Leonel Rivera: I had my reasons, senor. But I told them later.
Defense lawyer: But they told you, if you lie, no deal, correct?
Leo Rivera. Yes, correct. At first, but remember this was 2016-7.
Judge Castell: Please repeat your response.
[Does]

Now defense lawyer offers into evidence 3501-73, as Defense Exhibit A.
AUSA: no objection.
So will we get this exhibit this evening? Watch this feed.

Defense lawyer: So you're saying it was only when your family arrived here that you stopped lying?
Leonel Rivera: They were in danger. From narco politicians. I still had family in Honduras.

Defense lawyer: And this agreement was read to you in Spanish, correct?
Leonel Rivera: They showed me a document and I signed it. And they read me a document in Spanish and I signed it.
Defense lawyer: You understood it was important, right?
Leo Rivera: Si, senor

Judge Castel: I think you are repeating yourself.
Defense lawyer: I'll move on. I'd like you to take a look at the initials - withdrawn. There are some dates.
Leo Rivera: Yes.
Defense lawyer: So at which meeting did you decide, Now I'm going to tell the truth?

Leo Rivera: I don't remember. Fueron muchas reuniones.
Defense lawyer: So you get to decide when to tell the truth?
Leo Rivera: It's my job.
Defense lawyer: Let's talk about your murder of journalist Palacios [!]
Leo Rivera: Si, senor.

Defense: He worked at a TV station, and spoke against Midence?
Leo Rivera: Si senor.
Defence: Midence was a narco and a politician, right?
Leo Rivera: Yes.
Defense: After he said nasty things, you paid him 50,000 lempiras to say nice things about Midence?

Leo Rivera: I don't remember.
Defense: You told the US that, right?
Leo Rivera: No memory.
Defense: Then Palacios kept saying bad things about Midence and you sent people to shoot him and his girlfriend?
Leonel Rivera: I don't remember.
Defense: Yorleny Sanchez?

Leonel Rivera: I don't remember.
Defense lawyer: Bring up Exhibit 10, Annex A, number 24. You admitted killing her.
Leonel Rivera: I don't remember. I said it was 78.
Defense: Did you give the names?
Leonel Rivera: Some of the dead, I didn't even know.

Defense: If you didn't know Ms Sanchez, how did you know you were supposed to take responsibility for her murder?
Leo Rivera: I take responsibility for Palacios. I don't know if there were others killed with him.

Defense: Did the US tell you, his girlfriend, a doctor, was also killed?
Leonel Rivera: I didn't know.
Defense: What about journalist Anabel Barrow?
[Inner City Press: see, humanrightscommission.house.gov/sites/humanrig…

Defense: After you were named by OFAC, your brother showed you a photo of a journalist reporting on it?
Leonel Rivera: Yes.
Defense: So you ordered the murder?
Leonel Rivera: Yes.
D: You hired a hit man? Carlos Lara?
Leo Rivera: Yes.

Defense: They kidnapped and killed Barrow.
Leo Rivera: It was the wrong person they murdered.
Defense: Did you pay money for it anyway?
Leonel Rivera: No, senor.

Judge Castel tells jurors they're done for the day. "It look nice out there - enjoy it," he says.
Stories later on InnerCityPress.com and patreon.com/MatthewRussell…