Rodolphe Jaar, Assassination of Haitian President, Florida 2022

MIAMI, Florida – In a shocking turn of events, a 49-year-old Haitian-Chilean citizen was sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Rodolphe Jaar, 49, was handed down the harsh sentence by U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez on March 24, 2023, for his involvement in the events leading up to the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Moïse.

According to court documents, Jaar was part of a larger plot to oust President Moïse from power and replace him with someone who would serve the coconspirators' political goals and financial interests.

The case involved a complex web of planning and financing that took place in South Florida from at least February to July 2021.

Jaar, who helped secure weapons and provided other support, was part of a group that used South Florida as a central location for their nefarious activities.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Martinez.

The investigation into this case was a multi-agency effort, with valuable assistance provided by the Department of State, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement, and the Department of Defense’s Criminal Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monica Castro of the Southern District of Florida, Trial Attorneys Frank Russo and Jessica Fender of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 22-cr-20104.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/haitian-chilean-citizen-sentenced-federal-prison-connection-plot-kill-haitian