Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Florida 2021

MIAMI – In a shocking turn of events, federal authorities in Florida arrested 11 individuals, including three permanent residents, for their alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

The plot, which was allegedly led by Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, 50, a Colombian citizen and permanent resident of the United States, and Antonio Intriago, 59, a Venezuelan citizen and permanent resident of the United States, is believed to have been orchestrated from a location in southern Florida.

According to a new indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Ortiz and Intriago allegedly worked with several others to plan and finance the assassination of President Moïse, who was killed on July 7, 2021.

Others arrested in connection with the plot include Walter Veintemilla, 54, of Weston, and Frederick Bergmann, 64, of Tampa. The indictment also names James Solages, 37, Joseph Vincent, 57, and German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 44, who were transferred to U.S. custody in recent months.

Additionally, the indictment alleges that Ortiz, Intriago, Veintemilla, Solages, Vincent, Rivera, Palacios, Jaar, and John conspired to provide support and resources for an assassination plot that resulted in death, as well as a conspiracy to commit an act of violence against a foreign official, which is punishable under U.S. law.

The plot, which allegedly began in February 2021, involved a plan to overthrow President Moïse and replace him with Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-American citizen with presidential ambitions. According to the indictment, Ortiz and Intriago, through their company, CTU, planned to provide security and logistics support to Sanon’s government in exchange for lucrative contracts and other benefits.

The investigation, which was led by the FBI’s Miami Field Office, is ongoing and has resulted in the arrest of numerous individuals, including several who have been charged with crimes related to the plot.

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