MIAMI — A federal jury in Miami has delivered guilty verdicts against four men who participated in the deadly conspiracy that led to the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Federal prosecutors successfully argued that South Florida became the operational headquarters where conspirators organized and funded their scheme to remove Moïse from power and install their preferred replacement.
The defendants — Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages — were convicted on multiple charges including conspiracy to assassinate or abduct Haiti’s democratically elected president and supplying resources for the deadly operation. Additional convictions for breaking the U.S. Neutrality Act mean each man could receive a life sentence behind bars.
The Haitian leader died on July 7, 2021, during a brutal assault on his residence outside Port-au-Prince carried out by approximately two dozen international hired soldiers, primarily from Colombia. His spouse, Martine, sustained injuries in the attack and was transported to the United States for medical care.
After nearly eight weeks of testimony in the Miami courthouse, the jury reached their decision. Moïse’s murder plunged the Caribbean island into chaos, with criminal organizations gaining unprecedented control and unleashing increased violence.
Court records show that Ortiz and Intriago operated Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, companies known collectively as CTU, while Veintemilla ran Worldwide Capital Lending Group. All three businesses operated from South Florida locations.
Investigators identified Christian Sanon, who holds both Haitian and American citizenship, as the person conspirators originally wanted to install as Moïse’s successor. Meanwhile, Solages worked as CTU’s Haiti representative, maintaining contact with Sanon and other participants in the plot. Sanon awaits his own trial proceedings.
Five additional individuals have already admitted their guilt in the assassination conspiracy and received life prison terms.
