Life sentence handed to former US government informant for the assassination of Haiti's president

Joseph Vincent, a former US government informant, has been sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the assassination of Haiti's former president, Jovenel Moise. Vincent pleaded guilty to participating in the plot to kill the late president, and before his sentencing, he asked the judge for forgiveness. President Moise was shot and killed at his home in Port-au-Prince in 2021. Vincent, who worked for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, is the fourth of 11 defendants to receive a life sentence in the Miami federal case related to the murder plot. The trial is taking place in Florida because the US justice department determined that it fell under its jurisdiction, as part of the plot was developed in south Florida. Vincent admitted that he discussed the assassination plan and accompanied his co-conspirators to President Moise's residence in July 2021. His role involved providing advice on Haitian politics, meeting with local leaders, and encouraging protests against President Moise as a pretext for his overthrow. It is reported that during these meetings, Vincent wore a US State Department pin to create the impression that he represented the agency, although the DEA stated that Vincent was not acting on their behalf. Haiti's ambassador to the US, Bocchit Edmond, dismissed any suggestion of involvement by US drug agents in the attack, believing it to be the work of "professional mercenaries." Court documents reveal that the initial plan was to kidnap the president, but it ultimately evolved into a full-fledged assassination. Another suspect, Frederick Joseph Bergmann Jr., pleaded guilty on the same day to providing false or misleading export information and has been accused of smuggling ballistic vests as part of the plot. Colombian ex-soldiers and businessmen are also among those accused of assisting with funding, providing weapons, and carrying out the attack. Although 17 people have been arrested in Haiti for President Moise's murder, none of them have been formally charged yet, according to the Miami Herald. The country has been in political turmoil and has experienced unprecedented levels of gang violence since the president's assassination. The United Nations recently declared January as the most violent month in Haiti in over two years, with over 1,100 people killed, injured, or kidnapped during that period.