Miami Herald
A convicted Haitian drug trafficker pleaded guilty Friday to providing money to pay for weapons, food and lodging for Colombian commandos and others suspected of executing the fatal shooting of Haiti’s president, marking the first guilty plea in the murder conspiracy case in Miami federal court.
Rodolphe Jaar, 50, who cooperated with U.S. investigators in a major cocaine smuggling probe a decade ago, is hoping that same strategy might help him avoid a potential life sentence for providing “material support” in the conspiracy to kidnap and kill Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021. The deadly plot was coordinated among various suspects in South Florida, Haiti and Colombia, including Jaar and 10 others who have been charged by indictment in Miami.
Federal prosecutor Monica Castro said the defendant not only provided funds to support the assassination plan but also paid bribes to Haitian security officers so they would stand down when the Colombian commandos allegedly killed Moïse at his residence outside Port-au-Prince in the middle of the night.
At Friday’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez pointedly asked Jaar about the prosecutor’s reading of a factual statement that accompanied his plea agreement: “Is it true?” Jaar’s reply: “Yes, your honor.”
Jaar then pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to provide material support, providing material support and conspiring to kidnap and kill Haiti’s president — each of which carries a potential life sentence. Under his plea agreement, Jaar faces between 30 years and life at his sentencing scheduled for June 3.
Jaar then pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to provide material support, providing material support and conspiring to kidnap and kill Haiti’s president — each of which carries a potential life sentence. Under his plea agreement, Jaar faces between 30 years and life at his sentencing scheduled for June 3.
But, because he was the first to accept responsibility for his role in the assassination conspiracy and is cooperating with federal authorities, Jaar could receive less than 30 years. So far, he has provided critical information that has helped agents with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations build a stronger conspiracy case against 10 other Haitian, Colombian and South Florida suspects now in federal custody in the assassination of Haiti’s president. The remaining defendants are scheduled for trial on conspiracy or smuggling charges in May.
