US federal prosecutors have charged Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, known as “Barbecue,” and US citizen Bazile Richardson with funding and arming gangs in violation of US sanctions.
The indictment says the two sought money from the Haitian diaspora in the US to pay gang members and buy firearms. Cherizier, a former police officer, leads the Viv Ansanm alliance, which controls much of Port-au-Prince and is accused of murders, kidnappings, and attacks on infrastructure.
The US is offering a $5 million cash reward for information leading to his arrest.
Prosecutors say Cherizier was involved in the 2018 La Saline massacre, in which 71 people were killed, over 400 homes destroyed, and at least seven women raped. Richardson, arrested in Texas last month, allegedly helped raise funds for the gang under several aliases, including Fredo and Fred Lion.
Viv Ansanm has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US. Cherizier is also under UN, Canadian, and British sanctions. Despite this, he remains at large and powerful in Haiti.
The country has been in deep crisis since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, with gangs controlling the capital, law and order collapsing, and over half the population facing acute food insecurity. A UN-backed Kenyan-led security force has so far failed to regain control of Port-au-Prince.
Sources: Miami Herald, BBC.