Assassination of Jovenel Moïse: Four Florida Men Found Guilty by Federal Jury

The verdict was delivered by a jury of twelve after a trial lasting nearly nine weeks, during which 39 days of testimony were heard. After two days of deliberations, the jurors found guilty Arcángel Pretel Ortiz and Antonio “Tony” Intriago, owners of a counterterrorism training academy in Doral (CTU), as well as James Solages, a CTU employee, and Walter Veintemilla, a mortgage broker from Broward, accused of financing part of the conspiracy.

The four men were convicted on five counts, including: conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist operation, and conspiracy to conduct a military expedition against a friendly nation (violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act). Antonio Intriago was also convicted on four additional counts related to the illegal shipment of bulletproof vests to Haiti, a country then under a U.S. arms embargo. All face life in prison.

A conspiracy born in South Florida

According to the prosecution, starting in April 2021, the Florida-based group recruited about twenty former Colombian soldiers to overthrow President Moïse. The plan reportedly evolved from a “deposition” to an assassination a few weeks before the attack. Prosecutors described a project driven by “greed, arrogance, and power”: the masterminds hoped to obtain lucrative security and infrastructure contracts under a new Haitian president.

The defense argued that Moïse had already been killed by the Haitian police and his bodyguards before the Colombian commandos arrived. But the prosecution demonstrated, through thousands of text messages, voice recordings, and 8,000 gigabytes of data extracted from more than 100 electronic devices, that the defendants referred to Moïse as “a rat” and “a thief,” and used coded language to talk about weapons and ammunition – calling them “tools” and “screws.”

The central testimony of Martine Moïse

The president’s widow, Martine Moïse, seriously wounded in the attack, was the prosecution’s first witness. She recounted hearing the attackers speak Spanish and search the bedroom for a mysterious document. She also mentioned the presence of plastic bags containing bundles of freshly printed money that her husband used, according to her, to pay bribes and gather intelligence.

Defense lawyers tried to discredit her testimony, but prosecutor Sean McLaughlin praised her courage: “She came here with great strength and told you what happened in her bedroom that night. That destroys their entire false theory.”

A fake arrest warrant and Colombian mercenaries

The jury heard evidence that an arrest warrant presented to justify the operation was forged. A Haitian investigating judge, Jean Roger Noelcius, testified under oath that he had no authority to issue such a warrant and that he had fled after seeing his name used during a coup attempt on February 7, 2021.

The Colombian commandos entered the presidential residence around 1 a.m. Moïse was hit by twelve bullets, including one to the heart, according to the Haitian forensic pathologist. The couple’s two children, hiding in a bathroom, emerged unharmed. The two semi-automatic rifles the president kept in his bedroom were never used.

Co-conspirators already convicted and a case still open in Haiti

Before this trial, six co-conspirators had pleaded guilty to charges related to the conspiracy, and two others had accepted plea deals for money laundering. A fifth defendant, Dr. Christian Emmanuel Sanon (initially slated to replace Moïse), will be tried later for health reasons.

In Haiti, the investigation continues: more than 50 suspects have been indicted, including former first lady Martine Moïse, and 15 former Colombian soldiers are imprisoned. Joseph Félix Badio, a former anti-corruption official, is accused of paying $110,000 to the president’s guards to remain still during the assault.

Friday’s conviction marks a major judicial step in the United States, but it does not provide all the answers, particularly those related to the responsibility of accomplices in Haiti. Federal Judge Jacqueline Becerra has yet to set the sentence for the four convicts.