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Assassination of Jovenel Moïse

ONGOING2021Pèlerin 5, Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
File:Transfer of the body of Jovenel Moïse.png
File:Transfer of the body of Jovenel Moïse.png — Credit: LEVE KANPE POU HAITI · CC BY 3.0

Jovenel Moïse, the 43rd president of Haiti, was assassinated at approximately 1:00 a.m. on 7 July 2021 at his residence in Pèlerin 5, Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince. Gunmen stormed the home and fatally shot Moïse; they also shot First Lady Martine Moïse multiple times before ransacking the couple's rooms and fleeing. Martine Moïse was airlifted to Miami for emergency treatment and survived. According to a Haitian National Police report, only six guards were protecting the residence at the time, two of whom had reportedly acted as informants for the plotters, and none of the president's security detail was killed or injured, prompting public questions about the guards' role.

The plot involved 28 foreign nationals—26 Colombians, many former Colombian army soldiers, and two Haitian Americans—recruited chiefly through the Miami-based CTU Security firm and financed in part via the Florida company Worldwide Investment Development Group. Investigators say the operation evolved from an initial plan to arrest Moïse into a plan to kill him roughly two weeks before the attack. Following the killing, Haitian police killed three suspects in a shootout and arrested others, including a group that took refuge at Taiwan's embassy in Pétion-Ville. A broader manhunt led to arrests in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, and the United States over the following years.

Haiti's investigation implicated senior officials, including presidential security chief Dimitri Hérard and then-acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the latter tied by prosecutors to phone calls with a named plot figure on the night of the assassination; Henry declined an interview request from the chief prosecutor, who was subsequently dismissed. Several investigating judges and prosecutors stepped down over safety concerns during the case. In February 2024, Haitian authorities charged 51 people, including Martine Moïse and former Prime Minister Claude Joseph, with complicity and criminal association; former police chief Léon Charles was charged with murder and related offenses. An appeals court later overturned the 2024 indictments in October, ordering a new investigation, and Haiti restarted its probe in May 2025.

In the United States, where prosecutors asserted jurisdiction because part of the planning occurred domestically, multiple defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States, including Mario Antonio Palacios, Rodolphe Jaar, and John Joël Joseph, each sentenced to life in prison; Germán Rivera García and Joseph Vincent also pleaded guilty and received life sentences, while Frederick Bergmann was sentenced to nine years for export-related charges. On 8 May 2026, a federal jury in Miami convicted four South Florida men—Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and Christian (Emmanuel) Sanon—of conspiring to assassinate Moïse, marking the first U.S. jury convictions in the case. Prosecutors said the men recruited the Colombian mercenaries; the defense argued the men believed they were enforcing a legitimate Haitian arrest order rather than a killing. Authorities have stated that those who ultimately ordered and financed the assassination remain unidentified.

Key facts

Victims
Jovenel Moïse
Date
2021
Location
Pèlerin 5, Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Case status
ongoing

Case timeline

  1. 2017-02-07

    Jovenel Moïse assumes office as president of Haiti.

  2. 2021-02

    Moïse says he foiled a coup attempt against him; at least 23 people are arrested.

  3. 2021-05

    Walter Veintemilla meets Emmanuel Sanon to discuss potential political upheaval in Haiti; funds are later routed toward hiring Colombian mercenaries via CTU Security.

  4. 2021-06-07

    Eleven Colombian suspects cross into Haiti via the Carrizal border crossing.

  5. 2021-06-22

    Colombian mercenaries meet CTU owner Antonio Intriago and are told they will help secure Haiti to attract investors.

  6. 2021-06-28

    Wendelle Coq Thélot's signed document requesting Moïse's arrest is delivered to Intriago by James Solages.

  7. 2021-07-05

    Ariel Henry is appointed prime minister but has not been sworn in by the time of the attack.

  8. 2021-07-07

    Jovenel Moïse is assassinated at his residence in Pèlerin 5, Port-au-Prince; Martine Moïse is shot and wounded and airlifted to the U.S. for treatment.

  9. 2021-07-08

    Eleven suspects are arrested after taking refuge at Taiwan's embassy in Pétion-Ville.

  10. 2021-07-11

    Haitian police announce the arrest of Emmanuel Sanon.

  11. 2021-07-14

    Haitian police announce arrests of Gilbert Dragon and Reynaldo Corvington and identify Antonio Intriago as a suspect.

  12. 2021-07-23

    Moïse's funeral is held near Cap-Haïtien amid tense protests.

  13. 2021-07-26

    Jean Laguel Civil, head of the presidential guard, is arrested.

  14. 2021-10

    Mario Antonio Palacios is arrested in Jamaica.

  15. 2022-01-03

    Palacios is deported from Jamaica and transferred to U.S. custody.

  16. 2022-01-04

    Palacios appears in a Miami federal court and is charged, becoming the first suspect charged by U.S. authorities.

  17. 2022-01-08

    Rodolphe Jaar is arrested entering the Dominican Republic at the request of the U.S.

  18. 2022-01-14

    John Joël Joseph is arrested by Jamaican police.

  19. 2022-01

    The New York Times reports links between Prime Minister Ariel Henry and suspect Joseph-Félix Badio.

  20. 2022-05

    John Joël Joseph is extradited to the U.S. and charged.

  21. 2022-07-04

    An Istanbul court rejects extradition of Samir Handal to Haiti.

  22. 2023-02-01

    Sanon, Solages, Vincent, and García are charged at a federal court in Miami.

  23. 2023-02-14

    U.S. authorities arrest Intriago, Ortiz, Veintemilla, and Frederick Bergmann in Florida.

  24. 2023-10-19

    Joseph-Félix Badio is arrested by Haitian police.

  25. 2024-01

    Sanon, Solages, Vincent, and García are transferred to U.S. custody for prosecution.

  26. 2024-02-19

    Haitian authorities formally charge Martine Moïse and Claude Joseph with conspiring in the assassination; 51 people are charged in total.

  27. 2024-06

    A federal judge orders restitution, awarding Martine Moïse over $5.3 million and her son Joverlein Moïse about $865,396 from convicts in the Miami case.

  28. 2025-01

    Wendelle Coq Thélot dies.

  29. 2025-05

    Haiti restarts its investigation into the assassination.

  30. 2025-10-13

    An appeals court overturns the 2024 indictments and orders a new investigation.

  31. 2026-05-08

    A federal jury in Miami convicts Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and Christian Sanon of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.

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People

  • Wendelle Coq Thélot

    CHARGED

    Former Supreme Court judge accused of signing a document requesting Moïse's arrest and of being backed by conspirators to become president; arrest warrant issued 23 July 2021; died January 2025.

  • Samir Handal

    CHARGED

    Haitian businessman arrested in Turkey in November 2021 over renting an office to one of the masterminds; extradition to Haiti rejected by an Istanbul court in July 2022.

  • Joseph Vincent

    CONVICTED

    Haitian-American former DEA informant; pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was sentenced to life in prison.

  • Léon Charles

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Haitian National Police Chief who publicly detailed aspects of the investigation before later being charged himself.

  • Frederick Joseph Bergmann Jr.

    CONVICTED

    South Florida businessman who provided bulletproof vests used in the operation; pleaded guilty to export-related conspiracy charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

  • Antonio Intriago

    CONVICTED

    Owner of CTU Security/CTU Federal Academy; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.

  • Joseph-Félix Badio

    CHARGED

    Former Haitian government employee identified by police as having assisted the attackers and allegedly ordered assailants to kill Moïse; arrested 19 October 2023.

  • Rodolphe Jaar

    CONVICTED

    Haitian businessman who admitted planning and financing the plot; pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was sentenced to life in prison.

  • Arcangel Pretel Ortiz

    CONVICTED

    Former Colombian-American FBI informant and CTU employee who helped hire mercenaries; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.

  • Jean Laguel Civil

    CHARGED

    Head of the presidential guard; arrested 26 July 2021 and accused of bribing guards on behalf of the plotters.

  • Claude Joseph

    CHARGED

    Former acting Prime Minister; formally charged on 19 February 2024 with complicity and criminal association in the assassination.

  • Christian Sanon

    CONVICTED

    Haitian-American pastor who allegedly hoped to replace Moïse as president; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.

  • Walter Veintemilla

    CONVICTED

    Financier and owner of Worldwide Investment Development Group; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.

  • Bedford Claude

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Haitian chief prosecutor who questioned Moïse's bodyguards and sought charges against Prime Minister Ariel Henry; was later dismissed from his post.

  • Mario Antonio Palacios

    CONVICTED

    Colombian ex-military commando and member of the 'Delta Team'; pleaded guilty in the U.S. to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping and was sentenced to life in prison.

  • Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Chief of the National Police of Colombia, who provided details on recruitment of Colombian mercenaries and the attack itself.

  • Léon Charles

    CHARGED

    Former Haitian National Police chief, charged with murder, attempted murder, weapons offenses, and criminal association in the February 2024 indictments.

  • John Joël Joseph

    CONVICTED

    Former Haitian senator, extradited to the U.S. and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping and providing material support; sentenced to life in prison.

  • Jovenel Moïse

    VICTIM

    43rd president of Haiti, fatally shot at his residence on 7 July 2021.

  • Dimitri Hérard

    CHARGED

    Head of the presidential palace's General Security Unit (USGPN); arrested and investigated in connection with the assassination, alleged to have acted as an informant to the plotters.

  • Martine Moïse

    CHARGED

    First Lady, wounded in the attack; formally charged on 19 February 2024 with conspiracy and criminal association in the assassination.

  • Germán Alejandro Rivera García

    CONVICTED

    Former Colombian army officer who led the Colombian mercenaries; pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was sentenced to life in prison.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • File:Transfer of the body of Jovenel Moïse.png

    portrait victim

    File:Transfer of the body of Jovenel Moïse.png

    Credit: LEVE KANPE POU HAITI · CC BY 3.0 · Source

Places

Pèlerin 5, Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

18.4986, -72.2975

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was shot to death at his Port-au-Prince residence on 7 July 2021 by a group of mostly Colombian mercenaries hired through a Florida-based network; First Lady Martine Moïse was wounded in the same attack, and a years-long investigation in Haiti and the United States led to numerous arrests, guilty pleas, and a 2026 Miami jury conviction of four men, though those who ultimately ordered and financed the killing remain undetermined.
Where did the crime happen?
Pèlerin 5, Pétion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Who was convicted?
Joseph Vincent (Haitian-American former DEA informant; pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was sentenced to life in prison.), Frederick Joseph Bergmann Jr. (South Florida businessman who provided bulletproof vests used in the operation; pleaded guilty to export-related conspiracy charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison.), Antonio Intriago (Owner of CTU Security/CTU Federal Academy; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.), Rodolphe Jaar (Haitian businessman who admitted planning and financing the plot; pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was sentenced to life in prison.), Arcangel Pretel Ortiz (Former Colombian-American FBI informant and CTU employee who helped hire mercenaries; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.), Christian Sanon (Haitian-American pastor who allegedly hoped to replace Moïse as president; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.), Walter Veintemilla (Financier and owner of Worldwide Investment Development Group; convicted by a Miami federal jury on 8 May 2026 of conspiring to assassinate Moïse.), Mario Antonio Palacios (Colombian ex-military commando and member of the 'Delta Team'; pleaded guilty in the U.S. to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping and was sentenced to life in prison.), John Joël Joseph (Former Haitian senator, extradited to the U.S. and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping and providing material support; sentenced to life in prison.), and Germán Alejandro Rivera García (Former Colombian army officer who led the Colombian mercenaries; pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was sentenced to life in prison.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: ongoing.
More cases in Haiti

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICAssassination of Jovenel MoïseWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Associated PressAssociated Press · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026