5 Million Dollars for the Capture of Gang Leader « Barbecue »: A US Reward

Through a statement released on Monday, August 11, 2025, by the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington announced a reward of up to $5 million for the capture of gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, alias « Barbecue ».

Jimmy Chérizier, 48, originally from Port-au-Prince, and Bazile Richardson, alias Fredo, Fred Lion, Leo Danger, and Lepe Blode, also 48 and a naturalized American citizen, are accused of orchestrating a plot to transfer funds from the United States to Haiti to finance Chérizier's criminal activities, in violation of US sanctions targeting him, US authorities specified.

« Chérizier and an American associate sought to raise funds in the United States to finance his violent criminal enterprise, which is at the origin of a serious security crisis in Haiti, » said John A. Eisenberg, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security. « The National Security Division will not tolerate fundraising by criminal gangs on American soil and will continue to track down those who fuel violence and instability in Haiti. »

« There is a reason for this $5 million reward: Chérizier is a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights violations, including violence committed against American citizens in Haiti, » affirmed Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Federal Prosecutor for the District of Columbia.

« The US government sanctioned him in 2020 for his role in a persistent campaign of violence, including the La Saline massacre in 2018, during which 71 people were killed, over 400 homes destroyed, and at least seven women raped by armed gangs.

The federal prosecutor's office is determined to arrest him and bring him to justice, as well as individuals like Richardson, who provided him with money and other forms of support in violation of US sanctions. « Our commitment is to ensure the safety of Americans worldwide, and the gang violence ravaging Haiti must stop. »

« The FBI is committed to combating foreign terrorist organizations, wherever they may be, and Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier's gang is no exception, » said Darren Cox, Acting Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. « Through intelligence, partnerships, and the rigor of federal law, we dismantle these organizations and eliminate those who threaten the security of our communities. »

« The unsealing of this indictment marks the culmination of a long investigation into Jimmy Chérizier's criminal activities, » stated Todd M. Lyons, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). « His actions aimed at financing the oppression and massacre of Haitians — acquisition and trafficking of weapons, fundraising, circulation of US currency, sanctions violations — are inadmissible. »

Authorities recall that Chérizier is a former officer of the Haitian National Police and leader of the G9 and allies gang. He participated in the formation of the Viv Ansanm alliance, bringing together several criminal gangs to oppose the Haitian government. On December 10, 2020, the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned him and designated him as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for serious human rights violations.