Haitian paramilitary on trial

A former Haitian paramilitary leader has gone on trial in Brooklyn on charges that he cheated lenders out of $1.7 million in a mortgage fraud scheme.



Human rights groups said Emmanuel Toto Constant ordered killings and torture in Haiti in the 1990s before fleeing to the United States.



New York prosecutors now accuse the 51 year old Constant of helping orchestrate a scheme to flip properties at inflated prices by selling them to so-called straw buyers.



If convicted, he faces five to 15 years in prison.



Mr. Constant\'s lawyer told jurors in opening statements that he was framed by others, who took pleas deals.