Miami Court Hears Opening Statements in High-Profile Assassination Trial
A federal trial has commenced in Miami for four men charged with conspiring to assassinate Haiti's former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Prosecutors asserted during opening statements that the defendants were motivated by greed, arrogance, and a desire for power, while defense attorneys countered that their clients were manipulated and that the investigation was deeply flawed.
Prosecution Presents Case of Conspiracy and Ambition
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean McLaughlin told jurors that the case was straightforward: the defendants aimed to seize power and enrich themselves through a violent plot. "So arrogant and confident in themselves, the evidence will show, and thinking so little of the Republic of Haiti and its people, they actually thought they could pull it off," McLaughlin stated. The four defendants—Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages—are accused of planning in South Florida to kidnap or kill Moïse.
According to court documents, South Florida served as a central hub for organizing and financing the scheme to overthrow Moïse and install a replacement chosen by the conspirators. Ortiz and Intriago led Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security (collectively CTU), while Veintemilla headed Worldwide Capital Lending Group, both based in South Florida. The three men face potential life sentences and have pleaded not guilty.
Defense Argues Manipulation and Investigative Failures
Defense attorneys painted a different picture, arguing that the investigation initiated in Haiti was chaotic and that their clients were scapegoated for an internal coup. "Once you get off on the wrong foot, everything that comes after is hard to trust," said Orlando do Campo, attorney for Ortiz. Emmanuel Perez, representing Intriago, claimed the group believed they were lawfully arresting a criminal president, collaborating with FBI agents, U.S. Embassy officials, and Haitian government members.
The defense pointed to Joseph Félix Badio, a former Haitian government worker arrested in 2023, as the true mastermind behind a plan to use the president's arrest as cover for assassination. They alleged that Moïse had already been killed by men disguised as Haitian police officers when Colombian security forces arrived to arrest him. Jonathan Friedman, Solages' attorney, noted that the group possessed a real arrest warrant signed by a judge, though the judge later claimed it was signed under duress. "None of the people here on trial knew that," Friedman emphasized.
Detailed Plot to Oust Moïse and Install New Leadership
Investigators revealed that the conspirators initially backed Christian Sanon, a dual Haitian-U.S. citizen, to replace Moïse. Solages acted as a CTU representative in Haiti, coordinating with Sanon and others. In April 2021, meetings in South Florida led to an agreement where Sanon, once in power, would award CTU contracts for infrastructure, security, and military equipment. Worldwide Capital agreed to finance the coup, providing a $175,000 line of credit to CTU and sending funds to co-conspirators in Haiti for ammunition purchases.
CTU recruited approximately 20 Colombian nationals with military training to protect Sanon. Over months, conspirators acquired weapons, body armor, and sought alliances with Haitian gangs. By June 2021, they realized Sanon lacked constitutional qualifications and popular support, shifting their allegiance to Wendelle Coq Thélot, a former Haitian Superior Court judge who died in January 2025 while still a fugitive.
Broader Legal Proceedings and Ongoing Challenges
Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when around two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombians, stormed his home near Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine, was injured and evacuated to the U.S. for emergency care. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra has allocated over two months for the trial.
In related cases, five individuals have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the U.S. and are serving life sentences, while a sixth received a nine-year sentence for supplying body armor. Sanon's trial will be scheduled later. Beyond the 11 prosecuted in the U.S., 20 others, including 17 Colombian soldiers and three Haitian officials, face charges in Haiti, though gang violence, death threats, and a failing judicial system have impeded progress.
Marissel Descalzo, attorney for Veintemilla, reserved her opening statement until after the government presents its case, adding another layer of anticipation to this complex legal battle.
