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October 30, 2008

CIA-Backed Haitian Death Squad Leader Gets 37-Year Prison Term for Mortgage Fraud
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A former US-backed Haitian death squad leader has been sentenced to
thirty-seven years in prison for mortgage fraud. Emmanuel “Toto”
Constant was found to have orchestrated a scheme to flip New York
properties at inflated prices by selling them to so-called straw buyers.
Human rights groups say Constant ordered killings and torture in Haiti
before fleeing to the United States. He has evaded deportation after
threatening to go public with the extent of his ties to the CIA.
Constant’s attorneys say they plan to appeal. In sentencing Constant,
Judge Abraham Gerges noted what he called a “truly heinous record of
violence, murder, torture and intimidation.”



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