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A jury in Florida delivered a guilty verdict on Friday for four men implicated in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
The plot to remove Moïse and install a leader of their choice was allegedly orchestrated and funded in South Florida, according to U.S. prosecutors.
Those convicted—Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages—were found guilty of conspiring to assassinate or abduct Haiti’s president. Their charges include providing material support for the conspiracy and breaching the U.S. Neutrality Act, potentially resulting in life imprisonment.
On July 7, 2021, Moïse was murdered by a group of about two dozen mercenaries, primarily from Colombia, who stormed his residence near Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine Moïse, was injured in the attack and subsequently received medical care in the United States.
The trial, which commenced in Miami nearly two months prior, highlighted the chaos that ensued in Haiti following Moïse’s assassination, as gang violence has intensified in the nation.
Ortiz and Intriago were principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, collectively known as CTU, and Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both companies were based in South Florida.
Christian Sanon is a dual Haitian-American citizen whom investigators say was initially favored by the conspirators to replace Moïse. Solages was a CTU representative in Haiti who coordinated with Sanon and others, officials said. Sanon will face trial at a later date.
At least five others have pleaded guilty in the conspiracy and are serving life sentences.