US missionary group pledges to appeal the convictions of 11 members in Nicaragua

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S.-based missionary group Mountain Gateway says it will file appeals against the convictions of 11 members of the group who were jailed in December by Nicaragua on money laundering charges. The 11 are Nicaraguans. The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has often used charges of money laundering to expel or outlaw hundreds of faith groups and non-governmental organizations in Nicaragua. The group’s leader, Jon Britton Hancock, says the 11 faced up to 15 years in prison. Hancock and two other Americans also faced charges, but were not in Nicaragua at the time the others were arrested. The group says it complied with all government rules to operate in Nicaragua.