Jury selection starts Monday in a federal Miami trial for five men accused of orchestrating the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse from South Florida. The case reveals a complex plot involving private security firms, foreign mercenaries, and a switched successor, with far-reaching implications for U.S. jurisdiction and Haiti’s fragile stability.
On Monday, a federal jury selection will commence in Miami for five men accused of masterminding the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse — a brazen attack that sent shockwaves through the Caribbean nation and exposed a complex international conspiracy hatched on American soil.
The defendants — Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, Christian Sanon, and James Solages — face charges including conspiracy to kidnap or kill Haiti’s former leader and related offenses. Each pleaded not guilty and could receive life sentences if convicted.
The trial follows a series of guilty pleas by five co-conspirators, all of whom are now serving life sentences, and a sixth individual who received nine years for supplying body armor to the assassins. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra had postponed the trial due to the sheer volume of evidence and discovery disputes.
President Moïse was assassinated on July 7, 2021, when roughly two dozen foreign mercenaries — predominantly Colombian nationals with military training — stormed his residence in Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine Moïse, was gravely wounded and airlifted to the United States for emergency surgery.
The U.S. investigation uncovered that South Florida served as the command center for planning and financing the plot. Key operatives operated out of two private security and financing firms based in the region.
Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and its sister company Counter Terrorist Unit Security (collectively CTU) were run by Ortiz and Intriago. Worldwide Capital Lending Group, led by Veintemilla, agreed to bankroll the coup.
- CTU provided military-grade security training and initially recruited about 20 Colombian mercenaries to protect the conspirators’ intended new leader.
- Worldwide Capital extended a $175,000 line of credit to CTU and funneled money to co-conspirators in Haiti to purchase ammunition.
The original plan, cemented during meetings in South Florida in April 2021, was to install Christian Sanon — a dual Haitian-American citizen — as president. In exchange, Sanon promised to award CTU lucrative contracts for infrastructure projects, security forces, and military equipment.
But by June 2021, the conspirators realized Sanon lacked both the constitutional qualifications and popular support to govern. They pivoted to a new figurehead: Wendelle Coq Thélot, a former Haitian Superior Court judge who died in January 2025 while still a fugitive.
The assassination itself unfolded on July 7, 2021, when the Colombian mercenaries attacked Moïse’s home. The president was shot dead; the first lady survived but was permanently injured. The attack was swiftly condemned internationally, but Haiti’s subsequent investigation has been hampered by pervasive gang violence, death threats against officials, and a collapsed judicial system.
While the U.S. has secured convictions against 11 individuals connected to the plot, Haitian authorities have indicted an additional 20 suspects, including 17 Colombian soldiers and three Haitian officials. However, those proceedings remain in limbo, underscoring Haiti’s inability to deliver justice domestically.
This Miami trial is far more than a routine criminal proceeding. It illustrates the reach of U.S. jurisdiction: when a crime against a foreign leader is planned on U.S. soil, American courts can prosecute — even if the act occurs abroad. The case also shines a light on the shadowy world of private security firms that operate with minimal oversight yet can facilitate coups and political violence.
For Haiti, the trial offers a glimmer of accountability amid a relentless security crisis. Gangs now control large swaths of Port-au-Prince, and the country has no elected government. The assassination of Moïse removed a controversial but central figure, accelerating the nation’s descent into anarchy. Whether the U.S. trial can restore any semblance of rule of law remains uncertain, but it sets a precedent that cross-border political violence will not go unpunished.
As the jury is selected, the world will watch not only for a verdict but for the broader message about holding powerful actors — including private military contractors — accountable for destabilizing sovereign nations.
Stay tuned to onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, most authoritative analysis as this trial unfolds. Our team is tracking every development to bring you clarity on the legal strategies, the political ramifications, and what it means for U.S. foreign policy and Haiti’s future.
