Five Men Face Federal Trial in Miami for Plot to Kill Haitian President

Five defendants will face jury selection Monday in Miami federal court for their alleged roles in the 2021 murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. The men are accused of planning the assassination from South Florida, with prosecutors saying they coordinated the attack that killed the leader at his home near Port-au-Prince.

MIAMI — Five defendants accused of orchestrating the 2021 murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse will face potential jurors starting Monday as their federal trial begins in Miami.

The accused men — Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, Christian Sanon and James Solages — face federal conspiracy charges for allegedly plotting to kidnap or murder Haiti’s former president from their base in South Florida. Each defendant has entered not guilty pleas and could receive life imprisonment if convicted.

U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra had postponed the proceedings from their original schedule last year due to complex evidence gathering and the massive amount of materials involved in the case.

Five additional co-conspirators have already admitted guilt in the scheme and received life sentences. A seventh individual, whom authorities determined was unaware of the murder plan, received nine years in prison after admitting to supplying body armor to the group.

The assassination occurred on July 7, 2021, when approximately two dozen foreign soldiers of fortune, primarily from Colombia, stormed Moïse’s residence near Port-au-Prince, according to officials. The attack also left Moïse’s wife, Martine, injured, requiring her medical evacuation to the United States for urgent care.

Federal prosecutors allege that South Florida became the nerve center for organizing and bankrolling the scheme to remove Moïse from power and install a replacement leader chosen by the conspirators.

Ortiz and Intriago operated Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, known collectively as CTU, while Veintemilla ran Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both enterprises operated from South Florida locations.

Sanon holds citizenship in both Haiti and the United States and was originally the conspirators’ preferred candidate to succeed Moïse, investigators determined. Solages worked as CTU’s Haiti representative, maintaining communication with Sanon and other participants, authorities stated.

The group convened in South Florida during April 2021 and reached an understanding that Sanon would grant CTU lucrative contracts for infrastructure development, security services and military supplies once he assumed control, according to investigators. Worldwide Capital committed to providing financial backing for the coup attempt, establishing a $175,000 credit facility for CTU and transferring funds to accomplices in Haiti for ammunition purchases, officials revealed.

CTU initially hired approximately 20 Colombian veterans with military backgrounds to serve as Sanon’s security detail. However, by June 2021, the conspirators discovered that Sanon lacked both the constitutional requirements and public backing necessary to assume the presidency. They subsequently shifted their support to Wendelle Coq Thélot, a former judge on Haiti’s Superior Court. Thélot passed away in January 2025 while still evading capture.

Beyond the 11 individuals arrested and charged in the United States, another 20 people face accusations in Haiti, including 17 Colombian military personnel and three Haitian government officials. Widespread gang activity, intimidation tactics and Haiti’s deteriorating court system have hampered the continuing investigation.