Miami Jury Convicts 4 in Moïse Assassination Plot

A federal jury in Miami convicted four South Florida men on Friday of conspiring to kill or kidnap Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, whose assassination on July 7, 2021, at his home near Port-au-Prince deepened the Caribbean nation's political instability.

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages were found guilty on multiple counts, including providing material support to the plot and violating the U.S. Neutrality Act, which prohibits U.S. citizens from launching military expeditions against friendly nations. The men face possible life sentences when they appear for sentencing on July 28 before U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra.

Prosecutors said South Florida served as the hub for planning and financing the scheme, which prosecutors described as driven by desires for lucrative security and infrastructure contracts in Haiti. Ortiz and Intriago led companies known collectively as CTU, including Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security in Doral. Veintemilla headed Worldwide Capital Lending Group in Broward County, which extended credit to support the operation. Solages, a CTU representative in Haiti, helped...