Depends whose side and testimony you support.
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In a video statement posted on social media, Hernández said he was innocent and that he had been set up by drug traffickers.
On 10 May 2022, Hernández pled not guilty to all charges and complained about the conditions in which he was being held, with his lawyer describing those conditions as those of a "prisoner of war", and saying they were "psychologically debilitating".
Hernández's trial began on 21 February 2024 in
New York City and concluded with a guilty verdict on 8 March. On 26 June, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
In November 2025, days before the
Honduran general election, President
Donald Trump announced that he would grant Hernández a
federal pardon and endorsed
Nasry Asfura, the candidate from his party. On 1 December 2025, Hernández was released from the
United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, located in
Hazelton, West Virginia, after receiving a pardon from Trump for his drug conviction. Trump claimed that the investigation into Hernández was a "
Biden administration set up”, and that "They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country". The
Wall Street Journal later reported that "Trump pardoned Hernández so quickly that White House chief of staff
Susie Wiles and other senior officials had no advance notice." Hernández's release came as Honduras was locked in a "technical tie" for the election of a new president. On the afternoon of 1 December, there were just 515 votes separating Asfura from his nearest challenger,
Salvador Nasralla, a former TV host standing as a centrist candidate. However, on 2 December 2025, Nasralla, who also previously challenged Hernández in the
2017 Honduras presidential election,took the lead over Asfura, with Trump alleging election fraud. Asfura was ultimately elected president, defeating Nasralla by 40.3% to 39.5%.
On 8 December, the Honduran government issued an international arrest warrant for Hernández. His lawyer described the move as political.<a href="
Juan Orlando Hernández - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>78<span>]</span></a>
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