Florida men arrested for alleged roles in Haitian president's 2021 assassination: US DOJ
The Justice Department says 11 people have been arrested in the plot to assassinate Mois
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Department of Justice arrested four Florida men who are accused of plotting to kill the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise.
Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, 50; Antonio Intriago 59; Walter Veintemilla, 54; and Frederick Bergmann, 64, were arrested on Tuesday in relation to their "participation" in events leading up to the July 7, 2021 assassination of Moise. Pretel is a Colombian national and U.S. permanent resident of Miami, Intriago is a Venezuelan national and U.S. permanent resident of Miami, Veintemilla is a resident of Weston, Florida and Bergmann is a resident of Tampa, Florida.
Moise was assassinated on July 7, 2021 at his private home and was shot a dozen times, with his office and bedroom ransacked, according to Hatian newspaper Le Nouvelliste.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ortiz, Intriago, and Veintemilla are being charged with "conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a conspiracy to kidnap or kill outside the United States, resulting in death; providing material support and resources to a conspiracy to kidnap or kill outside the United States, resulting in death; and conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person outside the United States," according to the Department of Justice.
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FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2020, file photo, Haiti's President Jovenel Moise speaks during an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sources say Moise was assassinated at home, first lady hospitalized amid political instability. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery, File)
Bergmann is being charged with "conspiracy to commit export violations; submitting false and misleading export information; and smuggling ballistic vests from the United States to Haiti."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to the DOJ, South Florida served as a "central location" for "planning and financing the plot to oust President Moïse from power and replace him with someone who would serve the coconspirators’ political goals and financial interests."
Officials say that Ortiz and Intriago are principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, and Veintemilla is a principal for Worldwide Capital Lending Group, which are all based in South Florida.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in a raid on his home by a group of unidentified people in the capital Port-Au-Prince. (Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
11 people are now facing charges in the Southern District of Florida in relation to the assassination.
The Justice Department is accusing Veintemilla and his company of agreeing to finance the plot and sent a $175,000 line of credit to Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and also sent money to people in Haiti which was used to purchase ammunition.
Officials say that the men met at a house near Moise's residence on July 6, 2021 where firearms and other equipment was distributed, and Moise was assassinated a day later.
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Jovenel Moise is helped by a team member before an interview in his office in Petion-Ville, Haiti, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. (The Associated Press)
Ortiz, Intriago, and Veintemilla are facing up to life in prison for their role in the assassination, and Bergmann is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.