(Adnkronos) – The United States has offered 5 million dollars (about 4.2 million euros) to anyone who provides useful information leading to the arrest of Haitian criminal Jimmy Cherizier, better known as ‘Barbecue’. US federal prosecutors have indicted the former police officer, who is at large in Haiti, and who leads an alliance of gangs known as ‘Viv Ansanm’ (Live Together) accused of multiple murders, kidnappings and attacks on infrastructure.
The indictment alleges that Cherizier, along with US citizen Bazile Richardson, pocketed funds from the Haitian community residing in the United States to finance gang members and purchase weapons. “There’s a good reason why there’s a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier’s arrest,” said Washington federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro at a press conference, adding: “He is the leader of a gang responsible for heinous human rights violations, including violence against American citizens in Haiti.”
According to the indictment, the Haitian gang leader is suspected of having played a key role in the 2018 La Saline massacre, in which 71 people died, more than 400 houses were destroyed and at least seven women were sexually assaulted. While accomplice Bazile Richardson was arrested in Texas last month, Cherizier is still at large. Both contributed to “financing the violent criminal enterprise that is causing a security crisis in Haiti,” said Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg, adding: “We will continue to pursue those who promote violence and instability in Haiti.”
Last May, the United States designated ‘Viv Ansanm’, which has led the capital since 2020, as a foreign terrorist organization. Earlier this year, the group announced its intention to declare itself a political party. Cherizier has also been sanctioned by the United Nations, Canada and Great Britain, who accuse him of fueling violence in Haiti. If arrested, he could be extradited to the United States.
