In this courtroom sketch in Federal court, in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, seated center at the defense table, is flanked by his attorneys at the start of his trial. Nearly two years after his arrest and extradition to the U.S., Hernandez went on trial Tuesday in Manhattan federal court on drug trafficking and weapons charges. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
FILE - Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, second from right, is taken in handcuffs to a waiting aircraft as he is extradited to the United States, at an Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, April 21, 2022. Nearly two years after his arrest and extradition to the U.S., Hernández is now set to stand trial in Manhattan federal court on drug trafficking and weapons charges, with jury selection scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty. (AP Photo/Elmer Martinez, File)
FILE - Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, center, is taken in handcuffs to a waiting aircraft as he is extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges at an Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, April 21, 2022. Hernandez's trial in New York starts Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Elmer Martinez, File)
In this courtroom sketch, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, seated left at the defense table, looks at prospective jurors who are waiting to speak with Judge P. Kevin Castel, right, during the jury selection process at the start of his trial, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Manhattan federal court in New York. Nearly two years after his arrest and extradition to the U.S., Hernandez went on trial Tuesday on drug trafficking and weapons charges. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
FILE - In this courtroom sketch from federal court in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, seated center at the defense table, turns to looks at prospective jurors during the jury selection process at the start of his trial. Hernández took the witness stand in his defense at his New York trial on Tuesday, March 5, denying that he teamed up with drug dealers to protect them in return for millions of dollars in bribes. (Elizabeth Williams via AP, File)
In this courtroom sketch, Judge Kevin Castell, center, presides over the courtroom as former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, right, testifies on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in New York. Prosecutor Kyle Wirshba is at left. Hernández has been on trial since February in a federal courthouse in Manhattan, accused of taking bribes to protect drug traffickers, even as he portrayed himself publicly as an ally in the U.S. drug war. (Candace E. Eaton via AP)