Key facts
- Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have been transferred to the United States for prosecution.
- U.S. District Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones confirmed the transfer and stated that 30 people have been indicted in connection with the crime.
- Four key suspects, including Haitian-Americans James Solages and Joseph Vincent, and Colombian citizen Germán Rivera García, are among those in U.S. custody.
- Christian Emmanuel Sanon, an elderly pastor, is also identified as a key player.
- The case has stalled in Haiti due to death threats against local judges.
- Rivera, Solages, and Vincent face charges including conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S.
Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse were flown to the United States on Sunday to face trial, according to U.S. District Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones. Quiñones stated that the transfer marks "the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination." A total of 30 people have been indicted in connection with the crime.
Among those now in U.S. custody are Haitian-Americans James Solages, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57, who were among the first arrested after Moïse was shot 12 times at his private home on July 7, 2021. Also charged is Christian Emmanuel Sanon, an elderly pastor and doctor identified by authorities as a key player. Colombian citizen Germán Rivera García, 44, is also in U.S. custody and faces charges including conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S.
The case has largely stalled in Haiti due to death threats against local judges, with several having resigned or been dismissed. One judge told the Associated Press that his family feared for his life if he took the case. The U.S. Justice Department stated that Sanon is charged with conspiring to smuggle goods from the U.S. and providing unlawful export information, allegedly shipping 20 ballistic vests disguised as medical supplies.
Seven suspects are currently in U.S. custody, while dozens more remain in Haiti's overcrowded penitentiary. Court documents reveal communications between suspects discussing the plan to detain Moïse, with one suspect falsely claiming it was a CIA operation and another suggesting it was a DEA operation.