ALEXANDRIA, Va. Jun 27, 2015, SPA — A Haitian man has been sentenced to 16 years in an American prison for taking U.S. citizens hostage in Haiti in 2012. Forty-seven-year-old Samson Jolibois (zhoe-lee-BWAH’) of Port-au-Prince was sentenced Friday in federal court in Alexandria. The 16-year term was in line with prosecutors’ request. The defense had sought 12 years, AP reported.

Prosecutors say Jolibois was part of a group that targeted U.S. citizens of Haitian descent for kidnappings on the assumption they would be wealthy enough to pay ransoms.

— SPA