Prosecutor: ‘El Chapo’ gave $1M to Honduras leader’s brother

NEW YORK – Prosecutors alleged Wednesday that convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán gave $1 million in bribes to the brother of Honduras’ president to pass on to the Central American leader.

FILE – In this March 16, 2017 file photo, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, brother of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez, arrives for a press conference in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Jury selection in the drug trafficking trial of Tony Hernandez began Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in U.S. federal court in Manhattan. U.S. prosecutors allege the 41-year-old used his government connections to smuggle U.S.-bound cocaine through Honduras. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio, File)

Prosecutor Jason Richman revealed the allegation in a federal court in Manhattan where Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, 41, is accused of using his government connections to smuggle U.S.-bound cocaine through Honduras.

Prosecutors have labeled his brother, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a co-conspirator, though he hasn’t been charged.

The president has denied the allegations, saying drug traffickers extradited under his government are seeking revenge. Prosecutors allege Juan Orlando Hernández took some $1.5 million in drug proceeds to win his first presidential campaign in 2013.

Tony Hernández was arrested in 2018 in Miami.

Jury selection in the case took place earlier Wednesday.

Juan Orlando Hernández was re-elected in 2017 despite a constitutional ban on re-election. Last week, Honduras signed an agreement about handling asylum seekers with the U.S. government.

Guzmán, the longtime boss of the Sinaloa cartel, gained international notoriety for twice escaping prison in Mexico.

After being extradited from Mexico, Guzmán was convicted in a U.S. court earlier this year, sentenced to life behind bars and sent to a super-secure lockup in Colorado. /gsg