Miami court gives life sentence over Haiti president’s murder

A US court on Friday sentenced a Haitian-American man to life in prison for his role in the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

Joseph Vincent, 58, a former informant for the US drug enforcement agency, appeared in federal court in Miami, Florida for his sentencing, two months after pleading guilty to taking part in the assassination.

Vincent had admitted to discussing the plot and then accompanying co-conspirators to Moise’s private residence on July 7, 2021, where a commando of Colombian mercenaries shot the president dead while his guards failed to intervene.

Dressed in a beige prisoner’s uniform, Vincent entered the courtroom in shackles, leaning on a cane because of back pain. Before hearing the sentence he addressed the court. “Please forgive me for what I did,” he said in Haitian Creole.

Vincent’s role consisted of advising his accomplices on Haitian politics, meeting with local political and community leaders and encouraging protests against Moise as a pretext to overthrow him.

During those meetings, Vincent often wore a US State Department pin to make people believe he worked for Washington.

The US justice department has ruled that the case — in which 11 people were arrested and charged — falls within its jurisdiction because part of the assassination plot was hatched in south Florida.

So far, four people have been sentenced to life in prison: Vincent; former Haitian senator Joseph Joel John; Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar, and retired Colombia army officer German Rivera.

The operation initially aimed to kidnap the president but evolved into a full-fledged assassination, according to court documents.

Haiti has arrested 17 people for the murder of the 53-year-old Moise, according to the Miami Herald, but none of them have been formally charged.

Moise’s death plunged Haiti deeper into chaos.

The Caribbean state was already prey to gang violence, but gangs now control 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince, and the number of serious crimes has reached record levels, according to the United Nations.