MIAMI — A former Haitian government official and more than a dozen other people appeared Monday in federal court in Miami on charges related to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
The hearing happened a day after he and 17 others described as Colombian mercenaries were flown to the United States from Haiti, where they had been in custody. They’re among 30 people charged in the indictment, including Christian Sanon, a Palm Beach County, Florida, resident and dual Haitian-American citizen who was already preparing to face trial next week. It has instead been overwhelmed by gang violence: More than 3,000 people were killed this year by June and about 1.5 million people were displaced, according to the U.N.
Authorities said he aspired to be Haiti’s president. Joseph Badio, a former Haiti Ministry of Justice employee, was brought into the Florida court in a wheelchair. South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing, U.S. authorities have alleged. At least nine people so far have been convicted at trial or through guilty pleas. Haiti has not had a president in the five years since Moïse’s death.
Haitian Authorities Seek International Assistance in Moïse Assassination Inquiry
In 2025, Haitian justice officials requested assistance from the U.S. and Canada following a local court of appeals’ order for a new investigation into the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse. This marks the third inquiry into his killing, which occurred when he was shot 12 times at his private residence. His wife, Martine Moïse, was also injured during the attack.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette Reid has been actively involved in the legal proceedings, assigning lawyers and scheduling additional court dates for each of the 18 defendants implicated in the case.
