US Jury Finds Four Guilty in Plot Linked to Haiti President Moïse Killing

Four men have been convicted in a United States federal court over their involvement in the 2021 assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, in a case that exposed an international conspiracy stretching from South Florida to Haiti.

A federal jury in Miami found Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages guilty of conspiracy charges tied to the killing of the Haitian leader at his private residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021. Prosecutors said the men played key roles in financing and organizing the operation that led to the assassination.

According to US prosecutors, the group coordinated logistics, funding and equipment for a team of mostly former Colombian soldiers who stormed Moïse’s home during a late-night raid. The attackers fatally shot the president while his wife, Martine Moïse, was seriously injured but survived.

The defendants were convicted on charges including conspiracy to kill or kidnap a foreign leader, providing material support for the plot and violating the US Neutrality Act. They could each face life imprisonment during sentencing.

During the lengthy trial, prosecutors argued that the conspirators intended to replace Moïse with a leader who would reward them with political influence and lucrative contracts. Defense lawyers, however, maintained that the original plan was only to detain the Haitian president and claimed the killing itself was carried out by others.

The assassination plunged Haiti deeper into political instability and worsening gang violence, with the country continuing to struggle through years of unrest since Moïse’s death. Several other suspects have already pleaded guilty in related US cases, while additional investigations remain ongoing in Haiti.