Overview

• The August 12 unsealing of a federal indictment accuses Cherizier and U.S. associate Bazile Richardson of conspiring to funnel American funds to finance gang operations in Port-au-Prince in violation of U.S. sanctions.
• Richardson, a naturalized U.S. citizen arrested July 23 in Pasadena, Texas, appeared today in federal court in Washington, D.C., as prosecutors made the charges public.
• The State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program has offered up to $5 million for information leading to Cherizier’s arrest or conviction in any country.
• According to the indictment, the duo solicited money from the Haitian diaspora in the United States, routed transfers through intermediaries in Haiti, and used proceeds to pay gang salaries and buy firearms.
• Federal agencies led by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are coordinating the probe, though efforts to capture the fugitive leader in unstable areas of Haiti face significant challenges.