Eyvin Hernandez, a Los Angeles County public defender who had been imprisoned in Venezuela since March 2022, was on his way back to the United States Wednesday as part of a sweeping prisoner exchange announced by the White House.
President Joe Biden said a total of 10 Americans who had been detained in Venezuela were released as part of the deal, including six "wrongfully detained Americans."
"These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence," Biden said in a statement. "I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over and that these families are being made whole once more."
A senior administration official confirmed to reporters in Washington that Hernandez was among those released in the exchange, which also included the extradition of convicted military contractor Leonard Glenn "Fat Leonard" Francis, who escaped home arrest in San Diego last year after pleading guilty to bribing Navy officials.