A Haitian American pastor accused by U.S. prosecutors of helping orchestrate the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has pleaded not guilty ahead of his trial in Miami.
Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 67, faces charges including conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moïse and could face life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors allege that Sanon helped recruit participants in the plot because he hoped to become Haiti’s president after Moïse was removed from power.
Sanon was arrested by Haitian authorities days after Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, when armed men stormed his home near Port-au-Prince. He was transferred to the United States in early 2023.
His attorneys acknowledge that Sanon had political ambitions but deny that he knew about plans to assassinate Moïse. They are expected to argue that other participants eventually sidelined him as they considered other candidates to succeed the president.
The trial is the latest development in the international investigation into Moïse’s assassination. U.S. prosecutors say the conspiracy was largely organized and financed in South Florida, where Sanon had lived intermittently since the 2000s.
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Five defendants connected to the assassination have already received life sentences, while U.S. authorities recently brought additional suspects from Haiti to the United States to face charges.
