Jury selection begins in Miami federal trial over Haiti President Jovenel Moïse’s 2021 assassination plot

Federal case focuses on alleged planning and financing tied to South Florida

Jury selection began Monday, March 9, 2026, in Miami for a U.S. federal trial stemming from the July 7, 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. The proceedings are taking place at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, with U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra presiding.

Four defendants are being tried in Miami: Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages. All four have pleaded not guilty. A fifth defendant, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, is charged in the same broader case but is not part of the current trial because of health-related issues.

What prosecutors allege the jury will evaluate

The indictment and related court allegations describe a conspiracy that prosecutors say was planned and supported in significant part from South Florida, including meetings and operational steps connected to private security and financing. Investigators contend the group’s objective evolved from efforts to remove Moïse from office through a kidnapping plan into a plot that resulted in his death.

Moïse was killed when a group of attackers entered his private residence near Port-au-Prince. Haitian officials have said the assault force included roughly two dozen foreign mercenaries, many of them former Colombian soldiers. Moïse’s wife, Martine Moïse, was injured during the attack and was transported to the United States for medical care.

How the Miami defendants are described in the case

In the U.S. case, Ortiz and Intriago are described as principals linked to Counter Terrorist Unit entities known as CTU, while Veintemilla is described as a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Solages is described as a CTU representative in Haiti who helped coordinate communications and logistics. Prosecutors say these relationships are central to the alleged support network surrounding the operation.

• Arcangel Pretel Ortiz: alleged CTU-linked organizer based in South Florida
• Antonio Intriago: alleged CTU-linked principal based in South Florida
• Walter Veintemilla: linked to a South Florida lending company alleged to have played a role in financing
• James Solages: described as a CTU representative in Haiti involved in coordination

Guilty pleas in related proceedings and what comes next

The Miami trial is part of a larger U.S. prosecution in which multiple other defendants have already entered guilty pleas on conspiracy charges. Some have been sentenced to life in prison. Another defendant received a nine-year sentence after pleading guilty to providing body armor to the conspirators; authorities have said that person did not know about the assassination plot.

Judge Becerra previously delayed the start of the joint trial schedule, citing the volume of evidence and discovery challenges. With a jury now being seated and openings set to proceed, the case is expected to move into witness testimony and the presentation of evidence over a trial calendar that has been set aside for an extended period.

The Miami jury’s task will be to weigh evidence tied to alleged planning, financing, and logistical support linked to the events that culminated in Moïse’s killing.

Parallel legal and investigative efforts in Haiti have faced repeated delays amid instability and security concerns, leaving the U.S. proceedings in Miami as one of the most advanced courtroom tests of accountability connected to the assassination.