A federal judge in Miami sentenced retired Colombian army officer Germán Alejandro Rivera GarcÃa to life in prison for his involvement in plotting to kill Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. This plot caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation. Rivera, also known as “Colonel Mike,” pleaded guilty in September to conspiring and supporting a plot to kill the Haitian president. According to court documents, he was part of a convoy headed to Moïse’s residence on the day of the killing, relaying information that the plan was to kill him rather than kidnap him.
Rivera faced the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. However, he hopes that his sentence could be reduced in the future as part of a cooperation agreement he has signed with U.S. authorities. In some cases, U.S. attorneys recommend judges to reduce a sentence when the convicted person aids in their investigation. Federal Judge José E. MartÃnez handed down the sentence during a brief hearing in Miami.
The recent sentencing follows the conviction of Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar, who was sentenced to life in prison in June for his involvement in Moïse’s killing. Former Haitian senator John Joel Joseph is scheduled to be sentenced in December, and eight more defendants are awaiting trial in the United States next year.
During the hearing, Rivera, wearing a prisoner’s uniform, declined to make any statements. The charges against Rivera, Jaar, Joseph, and others, including Colombian and Haitian-American citizens, allege their participation in the plot to kill the Haitian president. The conspirators originally planned to kidnap Moïse but later changed their plan to assassination. They hoped to secure contracts under a successor to Moïse.
Since the assassination, more than 40 suspects remain detained in Haiti, including 18 former Colombian soldiers. Last week, a key suspect, Joseph Félix Badio, was arrested after being on the run for over two years. The case has highlighted the surge of gang violence in Haiti since the assassination, leading the prime minister to request the deployment of an armed force. In response, the U.N. Security Council voted to send a multinational force led by Kenya, but a deployment date has not been announced yet.
The sentencing of Rivera marks another development in the case that has caused significant turmoil in Haiti and involved individuals from different countries.