A former confidential informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, whose killing in 2021 caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.
Joseph Vincent, a dual Haitian-American citizen who lived in the U.S. and attended meetings in South Florida and Haiti ahead of the assassination, is the fourth of 11 defendants in Miami to plead guilty. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on charges including conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the U.S. and conspiracy to provide material support and resources.
According to authorities, about 20 Colombian citizens and several dual Haitian-American citizens participated in the plot. The conspirators initially planned to kidnap the Haitian president but later opted to kill him. Investigators allege the plotters had hoped to win contracts under Moïse’s successor.
Vincent, wearing a prisoner’s beige shirt and pants, pleaded guilty at a hearing before federal Judge José E. Martínez that lasted 20 minutes. Seated next to his attorney, Kenneth Swartz, he was handcuffed and had shackles on his ankles.
“Guilty, your honor,” Vincent responded after the judge asked him how he would plead.
Vincent said he had reached a plea agreement with the prosecutors, something defendants often do in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence. Under the terms, he agreed to collaborate with the investigation, and the government said it would withdraw two accusations of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States.
The judge set his sentencing hearing for Feb. 9, 2024.
The other defendants who have pleaded guilty are retired Colombian army officer Germán Alejandro Rivera Garcia, who was sentenced to life in prison in October; Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar, who also was sentenced to life in prison in June; and former Haitian senator John Joël Joseph, who was detained in Jamaica before being extradited to…
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