New York, USA.- Former officer of National Police, Mauricio Hernandez PinedaIt was announced guilty of drug trafficking before the federal court of the Southern District of NY.
The Honduran appeared this Friday at a guilty plea hearing “held before Trial Judge Robert W. Lehrberger.”
“The defendant pled guilty to count one of superseding indictment S4 of 21 USC 963, 952(a),” the resolution confirms.
Judge Robert W. Lehrberger recommended that Judge Kevin Castle accept the guilty plea.
Sentencing was scheduled for May 2, 2024 at 10:00 am.
Who is Mauricio Hernandez Pineda and what is he accused of?
Mauricio Hernández Pineda, 51, former member of the Honduran National Police and was purged on August 23, 2018.
As of September 2019, he was under investigation by the United States Department of Justice.
The former officer is the cousin of Juan Orlando Hernandez and Tony Hernandez, the latter of whom was convicted of drug trafficking in September 2019.
Although Tony Hernandez’s legal representative, Melvin Bonilla, has denied any relationship with Hernandez, the Department of Justice maintains that Mauricio Hernandez is connected to him.
Hernández Pineda voluntarily surrendered to US justice in February 2020. The surrender process took place in Guatemala, where, upon arrival at the airport, he surrendered to DEA agents.
His arrest was officially recorded on February 12, 2020 at 5:45 pm.
