Colombian ex-soldier pleads guilty to conspiring in Haiti president’s murder

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A Colombian ex-soldier accused of involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise pleaded guilty Thursday in Miami, as authorities continue to hunt for individuals connected to the murder, which has intensified the Caribbean nation’s An escalating crisis.

Germán Rivera, 45, admitted to participating in a “conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the United States” that resulted in Moise’s death, according to a plea deal reached with federal prosecutors.

In a statement filed with the court on Thursday, prosecutors said Rivera met with co-conspirators in person in Haiti and southern Florida to discuss “methods of carrying out the operation and the need to acquire weapons to facilitate the operation.”

On July 7, 2021, Moise was shot dead in a bedroom of his home on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and his wife was injured. Investigators have not yet determined a motive.

On the night of the assassination, “Riveira and his co-conspirators formed a convoy to the presidential residence,” prosecutors said, adding that the “intent and purpose” of the co-conspirators’ entry into the presidential residence was to kill Moise — “and, in fact, The president was killed.”

“Riveira provided training, advice and assistance, including assistance with operational planning, to facilitate the killing of Moise,” prosecutors said in court documents.

Eighteen Colombians were imprisoned in Haiti for the assassination, and some Haitians – including members of Moise’s security contingent – were also captured, although the investigation inside Haiti was less than the FBI-led investigation. Slow progress.

Dressed in beige overalls and glasses, Rivera pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to three counts related to Moise’s murder, each of which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. A fourth charge of conspiring against the United States was dropped as part of the cooperation agreement.

The plea deal was a breakthrough for prosecutors investigating the murder, which remains shrouded in mystery two years later, as Rivera could become a valuable witness for any other defendants on trial. Eleven defendants from Florida, Haiti and Colombia have been charged so far in the FBI-led investigation.

Rivera is the second defendant to plead guilty after Haitian-Chilean Rodolfo Jarre, who was convicted of drug trafficking. In June, Jarr was sentenced to life in prison for providing weapons and support to an accomplice.

Rivera’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 27 in Miami. An attorney representing Rivera, Mark LeVine, could not immediately be reached for comment.

With no elected officials remaining in office, Haiti is mired in a deepening political, security and economic crisis as acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry struggles to contain the violent gangs that threaten the Caribbean nation.

As many as 200 gangs have flourished in the vacuum left by Moise’s murder, kidnapping rich and poor for ransom while routinely blocking fuel supplies at the country’s main ports.

According to multiple NGOs, the gang’s activities have limited aid responses in the country, where the United Nations estimates 4.9 million people, or about half the population, are starving.

Thousands of Haitians have taken refuge in schools and theaters in the historic center of Port-au-Prince since last week as gang clashes surge. According to the United Nations, more than 10,000 people have been displaced since mid-August.

“The humanitarian situation in Haiti will seriously deteriorate in 2023,” the United Nations integrated office in Haiti said in a statement last week.

Henry joins the United States, the United Nations and some Caribbean nations in calling for international troops to address the security crisis, although many countries are wary of leading such an operation in Haiti, where previous interventions have been ineffective.

A Kenyan delegation met with Haitian officials last month as the African nation considered leading a multinational force, although such a move has yet to materialize.