Ex-CIA-Backed Haitian Death Squad Leader Convicted of Mortgage Fraud

www.democracynow.org
July 28, 2008

Here in New York, a former CIA-backed Haitian death squad leader has been found guilty on all counts in a mortgage fraud case. Emmanuel “Toto” Constant was found to have orchestrated a scheme to flip properties at inflated prices by selling them to so-called straw buyers. Human rights groups say Constant ordered killings and torture in the Caribbean nation in the 1990s, before fleeing to the United States. He has evaded deportation after threatening to go public with the extent of his ties to the CIA. In a statement, Jennie Green of the Center for Constitutional Rights said, “The conviction gives…his victims hope that he will soon be brought to justice for his crimes in Haiti that included the murder and rape and other torture of thousands more.” Constant will be sentenced in September.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/28/headlines