Four men have been convicted in a United States federal court for their roles in the 2021 assassination of Jovenel Moïse, a killing that plunged Haiti deeper into political instability and violence.
On May 08, 2026, a jury found Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages guilty of conspiring to kidnap or assassinate the Haitian president and providing material support for the plot in violation of U.S. law. Each faces a possible life sentence.
- Advertisement -
U.S. prosecutors argued that planning and financing for the operation were coordinated largely from Florida, particularly in South Florida, which has longstanding ties to Haiti.
During the nearly two-month trial, defense attorneys maintained that the defendants were participating in a plan to arrest Moïse rather than kill him. They contended that Colombian mercenaries hired for the operation were expected to accompany Haitian police officers serving an arrest warrant amid a constitutional dispute over whether Moïse had overstayed his term.
“This is a Haitian plot, and it is a Haitian conspiracy,” defense attorney Emmanuel Perez said, according to the Miami Herald.
Federal prosecutors, however, said the original plan to remove Moïse evolved into a coordinated assassination.
A fifth defendant, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-born doctor who allegedly hoped to assume Haiti’s presidency after Moïse’s death, will be tried separately because of health issues.
Eight other defendants have already pleaded guilty as part of the U.S. investigation.
Haiti’s Ongoing Crisis
The assassination of President Moïse in July 2021 created a political vacuum that accelerated Haiti’s descent into instability. No national elections have been held since his death.
A provisional electoral council established in 2024 was later replaced under the administration of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who has pledged to hold elections before the end of the year.
The United Nations has stressed that restoring a legitimate government is essential to stabilizing the country, where armed gangs control large portions of territory.
According to the U.N., more than 8,100 people were killed in gang-related violence in 2025, while approximately 1.5 million Haitians were displaced by worsening insecurity. UNICEF has warned that children are among the hardest hit by the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
