Haiti: Former Senator Gets Life Sentence Over President Jovenel Moise's 2021 Assassination

A federal judge in Miami delivered a life sentence on Tuesday to John Joel Joseph, a former Haiti senator, for his involvement in conspiring to assassinate late President Jovenel Moise in 2021, AP reports.

The plot, described by U.S. prosecutors as a collaboration between Haiti and Florida, aimed to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill the late president, causing unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.

Joseph, a prominent politician and opponent of Haiti President Jovenel Moise's Tet Kale party, was extradited from Jamaica in June to face charges related to conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support leading to death.

Joseph's sentencing is a result of his plea agreement with the government, in which he committed to cooperation, potentially leading to a reduction in his sentence.

Life Sentence Amid Pleas for Mercy

In a 30-minute hearing in Miami, Federal Judge José E. Martínez imposed the maximum sentence on former Haiti Senator John Joel Joseph for his role in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Former Haiti Senator John Joel Joseph, wearing a beige prison shirt and pants, requested mercy, asserting that he never intended to kill the Haitian president, NBC Miami noted.

Handcuffed and shackled, he expressed in Creole that the plan had spiraled out of control and evolved into an unintended assassination plot.

"It turned out that the plan got overwhelmed, out of hand," Joseph said, adding that the plan has changed to assassinate the president, but it was never his intention.

While the judge acknowledged the possibility of considering a sentence reduction upon the government's request, he ultimately sentenced Joseph to life imprisonment.

Judge Martínez emphasized the dangerous territory the former Haiti senator entered, whether or not the assassination attempt was executed.

"Whether you attempted or not the assassination, you enter into dangerous territory," Martínez said.

Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and retired Colombian army officer Germán Alejandro Rivera García have been sentenced to life in connection with the case. Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen and former DEA informant, pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing in February 2024.

Seven additional defendants are scheduled for trial in South Florida next year.

Impact on Haiti's Destabilization

The nighttime killing of Haiti President Jovenel Moise in his Port-au-Prince residence resulted in a power vacuum that armed gangs exploited, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, according to Reuters.

Haiti former senator John Joel Joseph, the third defendant to plead guilty, admitted to his role in meetings discussing the assassination plans, providing support such as rental vehicles, introductions to supportive gangs, and attempting to procure weapons.

Meanwhile, Mario Palacios, an ex-Colombian soldier, is expected to change his plea.

The Haitian government has arrested over 40 individuals linked to the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Increased gang violence post-Moise's murder led to the prime minister requesting armed force deployment. In October, the UN Security Council voted to send a multinational force led by Kenya to aid in combating the gangs.

According to Kenyan officials, the initial deployment of around 300 officers is anticipated to occur by February. However, the authorities are awaiting the verdict in a case that seeks to block the deployment.

A decision on the matter is expected in January.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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