WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2023) The United States charged four additional men over their role in the assassination of former Haitian president Jovenel Moise in 2021 after they were detained in the country and transferred to the United States, the Justice Department said in a press release.
"Today, U.S. Federal law enforcement transferred into U.S. custody four men detained in Haiti to face criminal charges in the Southern District of Florida related to their alleged involvement in the July 7, 2021, assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise," the release said on Tuesday.
In a separate criminal complaint, the United States charged dual Haitian-American citizens James Solages, 37, Joseph Vincent, 57, and Colombian citizen German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 44, with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support and resources resulting in death, among other charges, according to the release.
Another complaint charges dual Haitian-American citizen Christian Sanon, 54, with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, the release said.
The defendants are scheduled to make their initial court appearances on Wednesday at 2 p.m. (19:00 GMT) in Miami, according to the release.
Between April and July 2021, the defendants along with others participated in crimes that resulted in the killing of Moise.
It is alleged that on July 6, 2021, Solages, Vincent, Rivera along with others distributed firearms and equipment near Moise's house, and Solages announced a mission to kill the president, the release noted.
It follows from the press release that there are a total of seven individuals in US custody, including the four new ones. The other men charged are Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, 43, Rodolphe Jaar, 49, and Joseph Joel John, 51, and they were arrested last year.
If found guilty, Solages, Vincent, and Rivera face up to life imprisonment, while Sanon faces up to 20 years in prison.
Moise was mortally wounded in an attack on his residence on the night of July 7, 2021. More than 40 people have been arrested by the Haitian authorities during the investigation, including 18 Colombian citizens, five US citizens, several police officers, two presidential security officials, and the alleged organizer of the crime, doctor, and pastor Emmanuel Sanon.
