Haiti sees worsened gang violence
UN warns crisis in Haiti is escalating as gang violence across the country continues to worsen. (Video courtesy of AP, thumb courtesy of Reuters)
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Tuesday announced an indictment in Washington, D.C., accusing Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier and Bazile Richardson, a naturalized U.S. citizen, of conspiring to send U.S. funds to finance Chérizier’s Haitian gang.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Chérizier is a fugitive and is believed to be in Haiti.
His co-defendant, Richardson, who also goes by “Fredo,” “Fred Lion,” “Leo Danger,” and “Lepe Blode,” was arrested in Pasadena, Texas on July 23.
Pirro said Tuesday that Chérizier is a gang leader who orchestrated and committed various acts of violence against Haitians.
Police patrol the streets of Port-au-Prince amid rampant gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 23, 2024. (REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo)
The indictment alleges Chérizier and Richardson, after Chérizier was sanctioned, led a wide-ranging conspiracy with people in the U.S., Haiti and other places to raise money for Chérizier’s gang activities, in violation of the sanctions.
Specifically, the two men solicited money from members of the Haitian diaspora in the U.S.
“After sending funds to intermediaries in Haiti for Chérizier’s benefit, the U.S. and Haitian co-conspirators would send Chérizier images of receipts from money transfers,” the DOJ said. “Chérizier used these funds principally to pay salaries to the members of his gang and to acquire firearms from illicit firearms dealers in Haiti.”
The Trump administration, in May, designated Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif – two of Haiti’s most powerful gang networks – as foreign terrorist organizations and specifically designated terrorists.
The move was aimed at disrupting the gangs’ operations and supporting efforts to restore order in the troubled Caribbean nation.
The designations brought serious legal consequences. Individuals or entities that provide material support to Viv Ansanm or Gran Grif could face criminal charges, loss of immigration benefits or removal from the U.S.
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