4 South Florida Men Convicted in 2021 Assassination of Haiti's President

A federal jury in Miami convicted four South Florida men Friday of helping orchestrate the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, closing a chapter of a case that began with a brazen nighttime raid on a head of state's private home and ended in a Miami courtroom with life sentences on the table.

Jurors found Doral security company operators Antonio "Tony" Intriago and Arcángel Pretel Ortiz guilty alongside James Solages, a Haitian American linked to their organization, and Walter Veintemilla, a Broward County mortgage broker whom prosecutors said financed portions of the operation. All four face potential life sentences on multiple conspiracy charges, including providing material support for the attack and violating the Neutrality Act, which bars Americans from conducting unauthorized military operations against nations at peace with the United States. Intriago was also convicted on charges tied to shipping bulletproof vests to members of a Colombian mercenary contingent recruited for the mission.

Armed assailants stormed Moïse's residence near Port-au-Prince in the early hours of July 7, 2021. The president was killed; his wife, Martine, was seriously wounded. Federal prosecutors argued the South Florida-based network spent months framing the scheme as a political transition effort before it hardened into a violent operation. The conspirators hoped the operation would yield lucrative government contracts in security and infrastructure from a replacement Haitian government.

Lead prosecutor Sean McLaughlin told jurors during closing arguments that the case came down to "greed, arrogance and power." Defense attorneys countered that Haitian officials and members of Moïse's own security apparatus bore responsibility for the killing and that their clients were wrongly implicated. Lawyers also challenged the reliability of evidence gathered in Haiti and contested witness testimony across a nearly two-month trial. Defense attorney David Howard said the team will appeal the Friday verdict.

The conviction arrives as Haiti's humanitarian crisis — accelerated in part by the power vacuum Moïse's death deepened — continues to draw attention from Florida's congressional delegation. Then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), now U.S. Secretary of State, called the assassination a "cowardly, evil attack" in 2021 and urged the Biden administration to support Haitian authorities in pursuing those responsible.

For the Treasure Coast, the verdict carries weight beyond geography. Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties are home to sizable Haitian and Haitian American communities, many of whom have watched Haiti's accelerating collapse — gang expansion, mass displacement, deepening food shortages — with growing alarm about family members still in the country. Local Haitian community leaders and faith organizations in Fort Pierce have long called for stronger U.S. engagement in stabilizing Haiti. Friday's verdict, however significant, leaves the underlying crisis unresolved. The State Department under Rubio will face continued pressure to define a concrete policy posture toward Port-au-Prince as Haiti's humanitarian emergency shows no sign of abating.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.