On Friday, a Haitian-Chilean businessman was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Miami for his involvement in aiding Colombian mercenaries in obtaining weapons to carry out the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
In a recent development, Rodolphe Jaar, aged 51, has been convicted and sentenced by US prosecutors for his involvement in a wide-ranging conspiracy. The plot involved individuals from Haiti and Florida who aimed to secure profitable contracts under a new administration after the removal of Moïse. Jaar is the first person to be convicted and sentenced in connection with this scheme.
Ten more defendants are currently awaiting trial in the United States, according to recent reports.
A person with dual Haitian and Chilean citizenship, who had previously worked as an informant for the US government and was convicted of drug trafficking ten years ago, has been identified as Jaar. In March, the defendant entered a guilty plea for charges of conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States, as well as providing material support that led to a death.
Miami, FL – Federal Judge José E Martínez has issued a sentence at a brief 10-minute hearing held at the federal court in downtown Miami. No further details have been released at this time. Despite pleading guilty and promising to cooperate with investigators in the hopes of receiving a lighter sentence, Jaar has been given the maximum sentence he faced.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Moïse, the President of Haiti, was assassinated on July 7, 2021, after a group of assailants broke into his private residence. The attack occurred in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. A man, aged 53, has been reported.
Miami, FL – A group of eleven defendants, including former Colombian soldiers Mario Palacios and Germán Alejandro Rivera García, former Haitian Senator John Joel Joseph, and Haitian-Americans James Solages, Joseph Vincent, and Christian Emmanuel Sanon, are currently facing charges in addition to Jaar. The other defendants include American Federick Joseph Bergmann, Colombian Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Venezuelan-American Antonio Intriago, and Ecuadorian-American financier Walter Veintemilla.
