Key Haiti suspects in Moïse’s killing to be sent to Miami ahead of trial

Haiti admin September 20, 2026 0 Comments

Key Haiti suspects in Moïse’s killing to be sent to Miami ahead of trial

Key suspects in the July 7, 2021, assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse are being flown out of Haiti on Sunday by U.S. authorities.

A U.S. military aircraft arrived on the tarmac at Port-au-Prince’s international airport shortly before 11 a.m., and several people familiar with the operation told the Miami Herald that it was there to pick up Colombians former soldiers accused of taking part in the brutal killing.

Due to the sensitivity of the case, officials declined to comment. In South Florida, lawyers involved in the sprawling federal prosecution said they were unaware of the transfer. They noted, however, that the high-profile case in Miami federal court was recently placed under seal, an indication that new charges or defendants have been added.

The extradition of the Colombians to the U.S. by the Justice Department comes days before the final major suspect in U.S. custody, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a South Florida resident who wanted to replace Moïse as president, is scheduled to go on trial. Before Sunday, Sanon was the last major defendant already in U.S. custody awaiting trial on the case.

Sanon was indicted with several others, including four South Florida men who were convicted earlier this year on charges stemming from the plot to kidnap or kill the president. His trial was delayed because of health issues.

Still unclear is whether Joseph Felix Badio, a former government functionary indicted in Haiti in connection with the assassination, is also among those being extradited. Different information was provided as to his presence on the tarmac where the former soldiers were seen boarding the large gray military aircraft.

During the trial of the four men — including the owners of a Doral-area security firm that hired the Colombian commandos to go to Haiti — Badio’s name was repeatedly raised in testimony and evidence presented by both the defense and prosecutors. Text messages presented at trial showed him playing a pivotal role as the plot evolved from plans to kidnap Moïse and remove him from power into an assassination.

Several individuals who pleaded guilty in the case and were at a mountaintop house on the night the former Colombian soldiers stormed the president’s private residence testified about Badio’s presence. One witness said Badio was responsible for giving the signal to the group to leave the house they were staying at and head down the mountain toward Moïse’s residence.

Badio also allegedly told the Colombians that Moïse kept a suitcase containing cash in his second-floor bedroom and directed them to its location, as well as two firearms in the house. Moïse did not use the high-powered rifles during the attack, in which he was shot a dozen times.

Haitian police arrested Badio in October 2023 in Petion-Ville after he had spent more than two years in hiding. He has maintained his innocence and indicated he has information about the assassination.

A U.S. permanent resident, Badio had a home in New York. During the earlier federal trial, it was noted that the mortgage on his house was paid off after the killing.

This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 12:30 PM.