Arrr! A scurvy ex-senator from Haiti be gettin' a sentence for plottin' to assassinate President Moïse, matey!
2023-12-19
Arrr, me hearties! The scoundrel known as Former Haitian Sen. John Joel Joseph be walkin' the plank, sentenced to a lifetime in the brig fer his role in the dastardly assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in the year 2021. Let it serve as a warnin' to all ye pirates out there!
A federal judge in Miami has sentenced former Haitian senator John Joel Joseph to life in prison for his involvement in a plot to kill Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Joseph is the third of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami to be sentenced in connection with the plot. The conspiracy, which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation, was described as a joint plan between Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to carry out the kidnapping or assassination of Moïse. Joseph, a well-known politician and opponent of the slain president's party, was extradited from Jamaica in June to face charges. Earlier this year, he signed a plea agreement with the government in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence by cooperating with the investigation.Despite Joseph's plea for mercy and denial of intending to kill the president, the judge handed down the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The judge stated that whether or not Joseph attempted the assassination, he had entered dangerous territory. Two other individuals involved in the plot have also been sentenced to life in prison, while another defendant awaits his sentencing in 2024.
Since Moïse's assassination, Haiti has experienced a surge in gang violence, prompting the prime minister to request the deployment of an armed force. In response, the U.N. Security Council has voted to send a multinational force led by Kenya to help combat the gangs. The first group of approximately 300 officers is expected to be deployed by February, pending the verdict in a case seeking to block the deployment.