Four men were recently arrested in Florida in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, 50, a Colombian national and U.S. permanent resident of Miami; Antonio Intriago 59, a Venezuelan American of Miami; Walter Veintemilla, 54, of Weston, Fla.; and Frederick Bergmann, 64, of Tampa, Fla., were arrested for their alleged roles in the events leading to the assassination, according to a Feb. 15 news release.
“Homeland Security Investigations leveraged its expertise in investigating transnational crime to identify the international network of co-conspirators who allegedly sought to overthrow the Haitian government through violence,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson said in the release. “HSI continues to work with domestic and international law enforcement partners to investigate transnational criminal organizations that pose a significant threat to global security.”
The arrests were part of an ongoing investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, the release reported. The four men are part of a total 11 people facing charges in the Southern District of Florida for their participation in the events leading up to the assassination.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate individuals plotting violent attacks from U.S. soil that undermine the rule of law abroad,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the release.
Court documents show South Florida, from February to July 2021, was the central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse from power and replace him. Intriago and Veintemilla are reportedly the principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security. These companies, along with Veintemilla's Worldwide Capital Lending Group, allegedly played a key role in the planning and financing of the assassination.
The third superseding indictment additionally charges Christian Emmanuel Sanon and Bergmann with conspiracy to commit export violations, submitting false and misleading export information and smuggling ballistic vests from the U.S. to Haiti, the release reported. Sanon, a Haitian American citizen who held political aspirations in Haiti, was recently transferred from Haitian custody into US custody. Bergmann, who lived in Tampa, had ties to Sanon.
