WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said sday it had pressed criminal charges against four more men over their alleged connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
Moise’s murder in July 2021 left a political vacuum in the Caribbean nation and emboldened powerful gangs who serve as de facto authorities in parts of the country.
U.S. law enforcement took three key suspects into custody in the months following the murder.
The men charged on Tuesday will face proceedings in the Southern District of Florida after being detained in Haiti, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.
Those charged on Tuesday include dual Haitian-American citizens James Solages and Joseph Vincent, and Colombian citizen German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, the department said.
The three men were charged with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States, and face life imprisonment if convicted, it added.
A fourth man, Haitian-American citizen Christian Sanon, was charged with conspiring to smuggle goods from the United States and cause export information not to be filed, the department said. He faces 20 years in prison if convicted, it added.
The four men will have initial court appearances on Wednesday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Miami, the department said.
Seven individuals are now in U.S. custody in connection with the murder, the department said.
