Eighteen men accused of involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have been transferred from Haiti to South Florida, bringing a major new group of defendants into the U.S. federal case surrounding his killing.
The men were flown from Port-au-Prince to Miami aboard a U.S. military aircraft on Sunday, September 20. The group includes 17 Colombian nationals and Joseph Félix Badio, a former employee of Haiti’s Ministry of Justice who has long been identified as a key suspect in the investigation.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones confirmed the transfer and said the investigation remains active. Federal prosecutors say 30 people have now been indicted in the United States for alleged roles connected to the assassination.
The 18 Men Appear in Miami Federal Court
On Monday, September 21, all 18 defendants appeared in federal court in Miami.
Badio, 63, was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair. The other defendants, described by U.S. authorities as Colombian mercenaries, were brought before a federal judge after spending years in custody in Haiti.
The newly unsealed federal charges include conspiracy offenses connected to killing or kidnapping a person outside the United States and providing material support in connection with the plot. The defendants are accused of participating in different parts of the operation, but the allegations against them will now have to be proven in federal court.
Five Years Since Jovenel Moïse Was Assassinated
Moïse was shot and killed at his private residence near Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021. He was 53 years old. His wife, Martine Moïse, was also shot during the attack but survived.
U.S. prosecutors allege that important parts of the plot were organized and financed from South Florida. Prosecutors have said the operation involved recruiting former Colombian soldiers and obtaining weapons, ammunition and tactical equipment.
The assassination left Haiti without its sitting president and was followed by years of worsening political instability and armed-group violence. Haiti’s own prosecution of the case has faced repeated delays amid threats against judges, insecurity and disruption of the country’s court system.
Several Defendants Have Already Been Convicted
The case has already resulted in convictions in South Florida.
In May 2026, a federal jury in Miami convicted Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages for their roles in the plot. The Justice Department said the four were convicted on charges including conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death. They face possible life sentences.
Several other defendants previously pleaded guilty in the U.S. case. The latest transfer significantly expands the number of defendants now facing proceedings in Miami.
Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-American who prosecutors allege was connected to the plan and wanted to replace Moïse as president, is also awaiting trial. He has not been convicted of those allegations.
The arrival of the 18 defendants marks another major development in a case that has stretched across Haiti, Colombia and the United States for more than five years.
