Miami Trials Resume for Suspects in Haiti President Jovenel Moïse Assassination

A series of federal cases in Miami are addressing the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, with more than 40 individuals charged and a dozen already serving sentences. The latest trial involves Florida pastor Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a dual Haitian-American who pleaded not guilty to eight counts, including conspiracy to kidnap or kill a person outside the United States. Prosecutors allege South Florida served as the hub for financing and coordinating the raid by roughly two dozen Colombian mercenaries, funded in part by misused U.S. pandemic aid.

The plot also envisioned Sanon or former judge Wendelle Coq Thélot assuming power, with contracts awarded to the Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security for security and infrastructure. Haiti’s own courts have struggled to investigate the murder amid rampant gang violence that has killed thousands and displaced millions, prompting the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to note ongoing difficulties. Recent defendants, including former justice ministry employee Joseph Badio and additional Colombian mercenaries, have been transferred from Haiti to the United States for trial.