Thirty individuals have been indicted for their involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones described the indictments as a critical step in the United States’ pursuit of justice regarding the killing.
Moise was killed during an attack on his private residence in Port-au-Prince in the early hours of July 7, 2021. His wife, Martine, survived the raid carried out by a group that infiltrated the capital.
An 85-page indictment alleges that Colombian mercenaries, posing as agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), killed Moise for personal financial gain. The document states that U.S.-based companies funded the travel of approximately 18 Colombian nationals with military training to Haiti.
The court records assert that in exchange for future infrastructure and security contracts, companies known as CTU utilized Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) proceeds to recruit and hire the mercenaries. These actors participated in a planned coup d’état that included the intent to kill or kidnap President Moise.
Authorities characterized the mercenaries as individuals motivated by private gain rather than being sent by any nation or state on official duty as law enforcement or armed forces members.
Some of the suspects were transported to the United States via military plane by an elite team comprising FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents. Investigators allege the men used equipment procured in the U.S. and defrauded the American government of PPP loans.
Brett Skiles, the special agent in charge of the Miami Field Office, stated in a release that the assassination was executed by individuals seeking to profit from illicit financial opportunities and business contracts. “Today’s multi-location and international arrests underscore the FBI’s continued commitment to bringing all participants in this plot to justice,” Skiles said.
Attorneys for the accused were not immediately available for comment.
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