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4d ago

U.S. Indicts Haitian Gang Leader ‘Barbecue’ in Sanctions Conspiracy

Federal authorities unsealed a July indictment with a $5 million reward to disrupt networks accused of funneling U.S. funds to Jimmy Chérizier’s gang

FILE - Leader of the "G9 and Family" gang, Jimmy Cherizier, better known as Barbecue, shouts slogans with his gang members after giving a speech, as he leads a march against kidnappings, through the La Saline neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)
Haitian gang leader Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier led an assault last year in the capital that ultimately saw the prime minister resign
Former police officer Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, and leader of an alliance of armed groups, walks past journalists, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 11, 2024. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo
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Overview

  • The July 17 indictment charges Jimmy Chérizier and U.S. citizen Bazile Richardson with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions by soliciting diaspora money transfers to pay gang salaries and acquire firearms in Haiti.
  • Bazile Richardson was arrested on July 23 in Pasadena, Texas, and is awaiting an initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
  • The State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program announced up to $5 million for information leading to Chérizier’s arrest or conviction.
  • The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE, ATF and DEA are collaborating on an ongoing probe to dismantle the transnational financing network behind the Viv Ansanm gang federation.
  • Chérizier remains a fugitive in Haiti where entrenched gang control and legal obstacles, including extradition complications, limit the immediate impact of U.S. enforcement efforts.