MASTERMIND

Florida Judge Sentences Man Behind Haitian Prez’s Murder to Life in Prison

Rodolphe Jaar, a 51-year-old Haitian-Chilean businessman, plotted with Colombian mercenaries to assassinate President Jovenel Moïse.

The convicted drug trafficker-turned-U.S. informant who helped orchestrate the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president will now spend the rest of his life behind bars. A federal judge in Florida handed down the sentence to Rodolphe Jaar, a 51-year-old Haitian-Chilean businessman who organized the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse at his home in the country’s capital, The Guardian reported. Jaar pleaded guilty to helping mastermind Moïse’s murder, which was carried out by a team of Colombian mercenaries. Before the assassination, Jaar met with other conspirators, which include political, business, and military figures from several countries, both in Haiti and in Florida. Since Moïse’s murder, Haiti has spiraled toward anarchy as violent gangs war for control of the country and some victimized Haitians pursue vigilante justice.