{
  "id": 9187404,
  "title": "US expands its prosecution of 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/us-expands-its-prosecution-of-2021-assassination-of-haitis-president",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T19:25:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/us-expands-its-prosecution-of-2021-assassination-of-haitis-president/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has significantly broadened its investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, indicting 30 individuals and transporting 18 suspects from Haiti to the United States. Among those charged are an alleged mastermind, 17 former Colombian soldiers, and a notorious gang leader connected to the abduction of Canadian and U.S. missionaries following Moise's death.\n\nAlthough the indictment was originally filed in August, it was not revealed until the weekend. US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones declared this as \"the next major phase\" of the case. Prosecutors claim that the conspirators, operating in Haiti and Florida, hired Colombian mercenaries posing as Drug Enforcement Administration agents to kidnap and kill Moise, then install a U.S.-Haiti doctor as his replacement. The plotters allegedly used a network of companies and pandemic-era loans to finance the scheme, shipping items such as \"medical x-ray vests\" to Haiti under false labels.\n\nA dozen individuals have already pleaded guilty or been convicted in U.S. courts related to the assassination, with five receiving life sentences. The highest-profile defendant in the new U.S. court case is Joseph Felix Badio, a former Haitian government official believed to have masterminded the plot against Moise. Badio, who appeared in Miami court on Monday in a wheelchair, maintains his innocence and accuses him of being a scapegoat.\n\nAnother prominent individual named in the indictment is gang leader Vitel’homme Innocent, who remains at large in Haiti. Innocent gained international attention when the U.S. alleged he aided another gang in kidnapping 17 U.S. and Canadian missionaries just months after Moise's assassination. The U.S. offered a $2 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Innocent claimed he was unaware of the kidnappings, attributing them to corruption, and expressed his intention to defend himself in court.\n\nThe latest indictment focuses on Innocent's alleged role in helping a Colombian mercenary and Haitian senator, both serving life sentences after pleading guilty, evade capture after Moise's murder. Prosecutors also charged five others accused of facilitating pandemic-era loans to fund the plot. While Haitian political analysts view the indictments as yet another indication of Haiti's dysfunctional judicial system, others hope the U.S. case will bring long-awaited accountability. Some believe that the indictment could increase pressure on gang leaders like Innocent in Haiti, despite their knowledge of his whereabouts.",
  "summary": "A dozen people have previously pleaded guilty in US court proceedings related to the assassination",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}