Eighteen defendants were transferred from Haiti to Miami as U.S. prosecutors expanded a federal case over the 2021 killing.
MIAMI, FL — Thirty people have been indicted in a sprawling U.S. federal case tied to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, prosecutors said, as 18 defendants transferred from Haiti appeared in South Florida to face newly unsealed charges.
The latest developments substantially expand the U.S. prosecution of a case that has stretched across Haiti, South Florida and Colombia for more than five years. Federal prosecutors allege that participants planned, financed and supported efforts to remove Moïse from power that ultimately developed into a plot to kill him. The indictment is an allegation, and defendants who have not been convicted are presumed innocent. The case has moved forward in Miami while Haiti’s own judicial process has been repeatedly disrupted by insecurity, threats against judges and severe instability.
Moïse was killed early on July 7, 2021, after armed men entered his private residence in Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine Moïse, was wounded in the attack and survived. U.S. prosecutors have said South Florida was a major center for planning and financing efforts to remove the president. Earlier charging documents alleged that members of the group initially discussed kidnapping or forcing Moïse from office before the operation shifted toward assassination.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said the 18 defendants transferred from Haiti are part of a group of 30 charged by a federal grand jury. The group brought to Miami includes Joseph Felix Badio, a former employee of Haiti’s Ministry of Justice, and numerous former Colombian soldiers. They had been held in Haiti following the assassination. Federal authorities said FBI and Homeland Security Investigations personnel participated in the operation that moved the defendants to the United States.
The newly unsealed case includes charges arising from an alleged conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moïse outside the United States and allegations that some defendants provided material support for the plot. Prosecutors have also accused participants in the broader conspiracy of using South Florida companies, financial arrangements, equipment and personnel to support operations in Haiti. The exact charges vary by defendant, and the indictment does not establish guilt.
Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian American who had previously been charged in the U.S. investigation, is also among the defendants named in the broader indictment. Earlier federal court filings described Sanon as an aspiring Haitian political figure supported by some participants in an effort to replace Moïse. Prosecutors alleged that the conspirators later shifted their political plans as the operation evolved. Sanon and other defendants contesting the charges are entitled to have the government’s allegations tested in court.
The federal case has already produced convictions. In May, a Miami jury convicted Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages on charges connected to the assassination plot. The Justice Department said evidence presented during that trial included digital communications concerning plans to kidnap or kill Moïse and evidence about financing, weapons, transportation and the recruitment of former Colombian soldiers. The four convicted defendants face potential life sentences.
According to evidence described by the Justice Department after that trial, conspirators developed several plans during the months before Moïse’s death. Prosecutors said some proposals involved abducting him and forcing him to resign. After those efforts failed, the plot changed, and members of the group prepared for an attack on his residence. Prosecutors said former Colombian soldiers and Haitian participants were recruited as the operation took shape. Those findings concerned defendants already tried and convicted and do not by themselves determine the guilt of defendants now awaiting trial.
The prosecution has also examined how the operation was financed. At the May trial, federal authorities said evidence showed that money connected to loans obtained through U.S. pandemic-relief programs was funneled into financing associated with the conspiracy. Prosecutors said some funds were used to support the group’s activities, while other evidence concerned equipment, lodging and preparations involving people traveling to Haiti. The allegations against individual defendants differ, making the federal case a collection of related charges rather than a single identical accusation against all 30 people.
The movement of the 18 defendants to Miami also highlights the difficulties Haiti has faced in pursuing its own case. The country’s investigation and court proceedings have been delayed for years amid political turmoil and expanding gang violence. Judges involved in the case have faced threats, and insecurity has disrupted access to court facilities. Haitian authorities ultimately cooperated with the transfer of defendants to the United States, where prosecutors have jurisdiction over alleged conduct tied to South Florida and other violations of federal law.
Federal prosecutors said the investigation remains active as the newly transferred defendants move through the U.S. court system. Their cases will proceed separately from the convictions already obtained, and prosecutors will have to prove the charges against each defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. Authorities have not announced that the wider investigation into everyone who may have financed, facilitated or participated in the assassination is complete.
Author note: Last updated September 22, 2026.