Conviction in Assassination of Haitian President

A federal jury in Florida recently found four men guilty in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. This conspiracy, which was largely planned in South Florida, has contributed to a sharp increase in gang violence in Haiti.

The convicted individuals—Archangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemira, and James Solage—were determined to have conspired to provide material support for Moïse’s murder or kidnapping. This act violated U.S. Neutrality Act, and they now face potential life sentences.

Prosecutors highlighted that South Florida served as the primary location for planning and financing the deadly home invasion that occurred on July 7, 2021.

The accused intended to replace Moïse with Haitian-American Christian Sanon, hoping to gain financial rewards from a new regime.

Ortiz and Intriago managed a security firm in the Miami area named Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), while Veintemira led a capital lending group in South Florida. During the trial, which began in March, Moïse’s widow, Martine, shared a heartbreaking account of the night when a group of about 20 foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, invaded her home near Port-au-Prince.

Using a Creole interpreter, Martine recounted her husband’s terrifying last words during the onslaught: “Hey, we’re dead.” She herself was injured and subsequently flown to the U.S. for emergency treatment.

The defense argued that the men had been misled into believing they were taking part in a legitimate operation to arrest Moïse and free the country from what they perceived as an out-of-term president.

This conviction adds to a growing list of legal consequences related to Moïse’s assassination, with at least five others in the U.S. having pleaded guilty and received life sentences. In Haiti, 20 people have been charged in relation to the case, including 17 Colombian nationals.