Thread by @innercitypress

OK - #NarcosHonduras trial of US v. Geovanny Fuentes, replete with damning evidence about President Juan Orlando Hernandez, has gotten to closing arguments, with jury deliberations to being later today. Inner City Press will live tweet - thread below

Before the US begins its closing argument, Judge Castel first tells the lawyers that the glassed-in box could not be moved closer to the jury. They could go there - but would have to be masked. Also, he dismisses statute of limitations objections.

Judge Castel: The defense's argues that the defendant's son Mr. Guterres must have been a member of the conspiracy for his hearsay statements to be admissible. But Mr. [Leonel] Rivera provided evidence a jury could find Mr. Guterres was a part of the conspiracy.

Judge Castel: The defendant & Guterres together, with Mr. Guterres wearing a Honduras military hat, goes to this point. "Pictures of Guterres & Juan Orlando Hernandez... bulks of currency. This could have an innocent explanation. But Guterres is in the conspiracy"

Judge Castel: "I conduct that the statements of Mr. Guterres were part of the conspiracy and are admissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 801 and 804(b)(3) alternatively. So that evidence stands." Now let's bring our jurors up.

Judge Castel, to the jurors: "This is the opportunity for the lawyers to sum up."
Fuentes' lawyer: It is hereby stipulated that Gov Exh 15 reflects notes of AUSA Bove and Leonel Rivera.

Fuentes' lawyer: It is agreed, As to Jose Sanchez, notes say a drug lab in Cerro Negro was raided in March 2014 by Honduran authorities assisted by the DEA and that later the President Juan Orlando Hernandez offered Fuentes help to re-open the lab.
[This is big]

Closing arguments:
Assistant US Attorney: You have heard that the defendant trafficked tons of cocaine to the US. You've learned about his drug lab, guarded by armed men. He used bought and paid for cops and politicians....

AUSA: The defendant gave , brief cases of cash in a corrupt bargain with the soon to be President of Honduras... The defendant started with kilos in Miami. How did he rise? He partnered with cartels, he bought police and murdered people.

AUSA: He began by working with Metro, a cousin of the leaders of the Cachiros, Javier and Leonel Rivera. When the work in Miami fell through, they started a drug lab at Cerro Negro. In Honduras a kilo of cocaine is worth about $9000 dollars, multiplied in the USA

AUSA: The defendant told Leonel Rivera about his lab, at Rivera's gas station. Later, he told Leonel Rivera about the raid on his lab. But because of the defendant's contacts with corrupt police, he moved the drugs out. And he murdered the police officer...

AUSA: The defendant kidnapped and murdered the police officer who led the investigation. He put a bread bag over his head. Metro beat him with a gun and broke his fingers. They interrogated him, cleared Jarufe, then shot him with what they called "mercy shots."

AUSA: Jose Sanchez, the accountant, he knew about the lab. Jarufe sent him there with cash. Both times armed security stopped him. Not coffee farmers.

You heard from Jorge Medina, the agricultural engineer for Ganaderos. The defendant had killed his way out of the first investigation and bought his way out of the second. He paid Barajona a bribe.

AUSA: Sanchez told you, in 2013 Juan Orlando Hernandez had appointed Barajona and was running for President. The Cachiros paid huge sums to JOH, to Pepe Lobo, and to Mel Zelaya. To Ricardo Alvarez, who would be Vice President

AUSA: Mr. Sanchez saw Jarufe, the defendant and Juan Orlando Hernandez meeting, JOH took $15,000 in cash. JOH wanted access to the defendant's cocaine. The lab was near Porto Cortez and JOH wanted to export through there.

AUSA: So Juan Orlando Hernandez said he would give the defendant the cell phone number of his brother Tony Hernandez, who stamped kilos with his own initials.

AUSA: Since the Cachiros didn't invest in the defendant's drug lab, the defendant partnered with Juan Orlando Hernandez and his brother, Tony Hernandez.

AUSA: Defendant worked with Commission Martinez to protect drug shipments. His LinkedIn page bragged he was head of finance for the police, before he took it down.
[He was also United Nations-trained, something the UN of @AntonioGuterres is refusing to answer on]

AUSA: The defendant got a weapon as a gift from the 105th, near San Pedro Sula. General Fonseca is a contact in the defendant's phone.

AUSA: The defendant killed a boat mechanic, to ingratiate himself with the Cachiros from whom the mechanic bragged about stealing. Then the defendant began to work with Leonel Rivera: a 500 kilo shipment from Colombian Vargas Renteria

AUSA: There was another air shipment to the air strips of Fredy Najara. The defendant transported it, armed with grenade launchers.

AUSA: The defendant worked with the Sinaloa cartel under Chapo Guzman. 3 tons of cocaine. Now the defendant and Metro were rivals to the Cachiros. Soon, the defendant tried to kill Leonel Rivera.

AUSA: Later Leonel Rivera became a cooperator, and you've heard from him.
I expect the defense will say Geovanny Fuentes' business with Jarufe was legitimate. But it was just money laundering. Jarufe gave him the land for the drug lab.

AUSA: I expect the defense counsel to argue that even if the defendant did operate the drug lab and Cerro Negro, it was closed. But defendant reached an agreement with Juan Orlando Hernandez to keep the lab going.

AUSA: Geovanny Fuentes told Leonel Rivera that he kept paying bribes to Juan Orlando Hernandez into 2019, that he met with a military official for money laundering at JOH's request.

AUSA: In May 2019, when evidence about JOH came out in the Tony Hernandez trial, the defendant got driving directions to the Presidential Palace. And again another time. They were keeping close tabs on the Tony Hernandez case and the evidence in it.

AUSA: Geovanny Fuentes has the president's cell phone number, and the vice president's. He has dozens of police and military officials.

AUSA: The defendant in his post arrest interview admitted he knew the hit man Vacero. That he knew Pluto, a drug trafficker. He admitted he knew Chepito. But I submit to you that not everybody knows Chepito the way the defendant know Chepito.

AUSA: You have heard how with the defendant, president Juan Orlando Hernandez laughed about how they would shove the drugs up the nostrils of the Americans.

AUSA: The evidence shows the defendant conspired to traffic drugs into the US, with guns. He is guilty. Thank you.
Judge Castel declares a break.
Podcast and stories soon on InnerCityPress.com and patreon.com/posts/48872263

During break wrote: In #NarcosHonduras Closing, US Says President JOH Wanted To Traffic Drugs & Was In Defendant's Phone; Conspiracy helped by Commissioner Martinez trained by UN, no answers - Story: innercitypress.com/sdnylive12hond… @SubstackInc matthewrussellleeicp.substack.com/p/narcos-hondu…

Fuentes' lawyer is trashing Leonel Rivera, calling his despicable and with a bad memory. "Leo is lying."

Now Fuentes' lawyer is questioning Sanchez' testimony that he went and found the video of Juan Orlando Hernandez bragging of stealing from the social security system....

Fuentes' lawyer: Guns are legal in many parts of the US and people are proud of them and have photos of them on their phones. Put to rest the emojis of the sapos, the frogs. Even if it were to mean snitch, the father is in prison, the son is mad, right?

Fuentes' lawyer, to jurors: This is the last time I get to talk to you. Geovanny is confident you will find the government has failed to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Thank you.

US rebuttal summation:
AUSA Gutwillig: The defense just told you about the nightmare of the defendant when he was arrested. But he caused a nightmare with his drugs, and by corrupting his own country.
I'm not going to talk about how guns are like dogs...

AUSA: Yes, Jose Sanchez was scared. He came in here and testified against the president of his country, conspiring to bring drugs into the US.

AUSA: The defendant not only had on his phone the personal cell phone of the president, Juan Orlando Hernandez - as the Tony Hernandez trial came out with evidence against JOH, he searched for driving instructions to the Casa Presidencial

AUSA: The DEA couldn't just go down and get evidence in Honduras - "Honduras is run by Juan Orlando Hernandez, one of the defendants co-conspirators."

AUSA: The video you heard about (of JOH talking about stealing from social security, and with the Defendant), don't you think we would have shown it if we had it? The argument that we are withholding it is absurd.

AUSA: These were just the only two meetings Jose Sanchez saw. Geovanny Fuentes told Leo Rivera, in the MCC (Jail), that he bribes Juan Orlando Hernandez. Take a look at the driving instruction information to see when. This is not a complicated case, not a close one

AUSA: This is a horrific story, and it is a simple one. Find the defendant guilty.
Judge Castel: You may retire for lunch. Do not discuss the case. You have not heard my instructions on the law.
Thread will continue, and on patreon.com/posts/48872263

Judge Castel is finishing up his instructions. We have the exhibits loaded. Discuss and weight your views, and adopt a conclusion that in your good conscience appears to be in accord with the evidence and the law.

Judge Castel: That concludes my instructions. Please stand and stretch while I consult with the lawyers at the sidebar.
[Then] Jurors 14, 15 and 16, you may leave. But still do not discuss the case: you are on call to be recalled if necessary. [Alternates]

Deputy Marshal is sworn in; jurors are heading out to the jury room.
Judge Castel (to the lawyers) You need to be within eight minutes of this courtroom.
Judge Castel praises the lawyers, and adjourns.
The waiting begins.

For those asking, the two defense lawyers remain waiting at their table. Geovanny Fuentes is waiting in the holding cell. Earlier, he was twiddling his thumbs like in the post-arrest interview video. There was a moment when all the lawyers, but not him, stood up

Update of 4:42 pm - it appears there is a jury note; the deputy has handed a piece of paper to the defense lawyers. The one who came in on Long Island Railroad says he has to leave to 5:20 to get home. #MTAcuts

Explanation: #MTAcuts means: due to recent budget and schedule cuts by the Metropolitan Transit Authority / Long Island Railroad, request by jury in Honduras drug trafficking case to stay late will be limited to 5:40 or even 5:20, for lawyer to catch train

That is to say, All politics is local.

Now the prosecutors are back. So the jury note should be official read out loud by Judge Castel shortly.

Judge Castel has still not announced it, but defense lawyer is saying, it's great, jury is leaving and we can leave. Now he's negotiating for later start on Monday. Who knew the Long Island Railroad schedule would paly a role in #NarcosHonduras?

Update: While still no official announcement, Inner City Press understands that jury will be coming back in on Monday not at 9:30 but rather 9 am. Story soon on InnerCityPress.com and patreon.com/MatthewRussell…