Thirty Indicted in 2021 Assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise

S. officials announced Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones stated this marks the next step in the United States' pursuit of justice.S. on Sunday to face federal charges.

They arrived in Miami, Florida, under heavy guard. Prosecutors allege the assassination plot was financed in South Florida, with defendants using fraudulent COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans to fund the mission. The indictment alleges the president was killed for financial gain, with U.S.-based companies funding the travel of approximately 18 Colombian nationals with military training to Haiti.

These mercenaries were motivated by private gain and were not acting on official duty for any nation or state. The charges include conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person abroad and wire fraud. Haitian authorities acknowledged delays in their own judicial proceedings, noting that five years after the July 7, 2021 killing, their domestic case has not reached trial.

The U.S. proceedings have advanced through arrests, prosecutions, and convictions. The U.S. government has jurisdiction because the conspiracy was largely organized and financed in South Florida. The assassination deepened Haiti's political and security crisis, marked by widespread gang violence.