Date: September 20, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Eighteen suspects in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise have been transferred from Haiti to the United States to face trial, marking a major new phase in the long-running investigation into the killing.
A military aircraft transported the suspects from Haiti to the United States on Sunday, according to Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The suspects are expected to face federal proceedings in Florida over their alleged involvement in the plot that led to Moise's assassination.
“Today marks the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination,” Quiñones said in a statement.
Moise, 53, was shot dead in July 2021 at his private residence in the hills above Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine Moise, was also seriously wounded in the attack. The assassination created a major political vacuum in Haiti and was followed by growing influence of armed groups amid continuing political and security instability.
The case has generated investigations and criminal proceedings in both Haiti and the United States. U.S. authorities have indicted 30 people in connection with the killing, according to Quiñones. U.S. prosecutors have alleged that South Florida was used as a base from which the plot was organized and financed before the operation was carried out in Haiti.
The transfer of the 18 suspects follows convictions earlier this year in a U.S. federal court. In May, a jury convicted four South Florida men of conspiring to kill or kidnap Moise and providing material support for the plot. Prosecutors said the men helped assemble former Colombian soldiers and provided money, weapons, ammunition and tactical equipment as part of the conspiracy.
The four men convicted in May were Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, James Solages and Walter Veintemilla. They face life imprisonment. A fifth defendant, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, is scheduled to face trial separately because of health issues.
The Haitian government confirmed the transfer of the 18 suspects, while Justice Minister Patrick Pelissier said the country's judicial proceedings had been delayed. Haitian authorities have struggled to bring the case to trial after years of security problems, threats against judges and the deterioration of the country's judicial system.
Pierre Espérance, a prominent Haitian human rights activist, criticized the decision to transfer the suspects to the United States, describing it as a setback for Haiti's justice system. He argued that Haiti needs stronger judicial institutions capable of handling complex criminal cases domestically.
The U.S. proceedings have continued while the Haitian case has remained stalled. Several other defendants have already pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court, while authorities continue to pursue additional suspects and alleged participants in the assassination plot.
The transfer of the 18 suspects is expected to bring renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding Moise's killing and to the broader international investigation into who financed, organized and participated in the operation that ended the Haitian president's life in 2021.