Eighteen suspects extradited to US over Haitian president’s 2021 killing | Courts News
Federal Court in Florida to Prosecute Individuals Accused in Jovenel Moise Assassination Plot
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published: September 20, 2026
Eighteen individuals facing federal charges related to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise have been transported to the United States. A military flight on Sunday moved the suspects from Port-au-Prince to Florida, where they are expected to stand trial for their alleged roles in the transnational conspiracy to kill the former leader.
This significant development follows successful convictions in May by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, which identified several participants as “gang leaders” and “co-conspirators” involved in the assassination plot.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones, appointed during the Trump administration, is leading the investigation. “Today marks the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination of President Jovenel Moise,” Quinones stated on social media. He emphasized the commitment to following the evidence to those who financed and facilitated the crime. Quinones added that after five years, more defendants are still being brought before U.S. courts.
While the specific identities of the extradited suspects were not disclosed, several individuals awaiting trial in Haiti include over a dozen Colombian soldiers and a former Haitian government official. Quinones confirmed that the FBI and other agencies are dedicated to holding accountable all those seeking personal gain from the assassination of a head of state. FBI Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles noted that multiple arrests were made in the U.S. and abroad on Sunday.
Moise, 53, was shot and killed at his residence in Port-au-Prince in July 2021, during an attack that also critically injured his wife. His assassination precipitated a political crisis in Haiti, leaving the country without an elected leader and enabling armed gangs to seize control, now dominating approximately 90 percent of the capital. According to the United Nations, at least 8,100 gang-related killings occurred in 2025, contributing to the displacement of around 1.5 million people.
Federal prosecutors established legal jurisdiction in Florida, the U.S. state closest to Haiti, citing that the broader plot to assassinate Moise was primarily organized, funded, and executed from southern Florida. The deteriorating security situation and persistent corruption in Haiti have rendered the prospect of a fair trial increasingly impractical.
Pierre Esperance, a prominent human rights advocate in Haiti, criticized the transfer of the suspects to the U.S., calling it a “disgrace for the Haitian justice system” and advocating for reforms to enable complex cases to be handled domestically in the future.
In May, four individuals were convicted in Florida for their involvement in Moise’s assassination, with at least five others pleading guilty and receiving life sentences. Since Moise’s death, national elections have not been held in Haiti.
