Haitian Gang Leader ‘Barbecue’ Indicted for Conspiracy to Violate U.S. Sanctions

            WASHINGTON — An indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. charging Jimmy Cherizier, 48, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Bazile Richardson, 48, a naturalized U.S. citizen, with leading a conspiracy to transfer funds from the United States to Cherizier, aka “Barbecue,” to fund his gang activities in Haiti in violation of the U.S sanctions imposed on Cherizier, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

          Cherizier is a fugitive believed to be in Haiti. 

          Richardson, aka “Fredo,” “Fred Lion,” “Leo Danger,” and “Lepe Blode,” was arrested on July 23 in Pasadena, Texas, and is expected to make his initial court appearance today in the District of Columbia.

          Concurrent with the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Cherizier. Anyone possessing such information should contact Rewards for Justice here.

        “There’s a good reason that there’s a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier’s arrest. He’s a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights abuses, including violence against American citizens in Haiti,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The U.S. government sanctioned Cherizier in 2020 because he was responsible for an ongoing campaign of violence, including the 2018 La Saline massacre, in which 71 people were killed, more than 400 houses were destroyed, and at least seven women raped by armed gangs. The U.S. Attorney’s office is committed to apprehending Cherizier and bringing him to justice, along with individuals like defendant Richardson, who has sent money and other support to Cherizier from the United States in violation of U.S. sanctions. Our office is committed to keeping Americans safe anywhere in the world, and the gang violence that has ravaged Haiti must end.”

           “Cherizier and a U.S. associate sought to raise funds in the United States to bankroll Cherizier’s violent criminal enterprise, which is driving a security crisis in Haiti,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division does not tolerate criminal gang fundraising in the United States, and will continue to pursue those who enable Haiti’s violence and instability.”

          "The FBI is committed to confronting foreign terrorist organizations wherever they operate, and Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier’s gang is no exception," said FBI Criminal Investigative Division Acting Assistant Director Darren Cox. "Through intelligence, partnerships and the full weight of federal law, we are dismantling FTO’s and rooting out those who threaten the safety of our communities.” 

          “The unsealing of this indictment marks the results of a lengthy investigation into Jimmy Cherizier’s criminal activities,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “His actions to fund the oppression and slaughter of Haitians, including firearm procurement and trafficking networks, fundraising activities, movement and usage of U.S. dollars, and violations of sanctions, are unconscionable — but today marks a step towards accountability.”

          “The FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling transnational gangs, such as Viv Ansanm, who spread violence and engage in illicit finance activities – whether here or overseas,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “I commend the dedication and collaboration of our partners in this investigation to include HSI Washington Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration. We especially thank the U.S. Embassy Port au Prince for their close cooperation and the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program for their robust $5 million reward for Cherizier.”

          According to court documents, Cherizier is a former officer in the Haitian National Police and the leader of a gang known as the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies who helped to forge a gang alliance called Viv Ansanm that united Haiti’s many criminal gangs to oppose the legitimate government of Haiti. On Dec. 10, 2020, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cherizier and designated him as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for his role in serious human rights abuses in Haiti. As a result of the SDN designation, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of Cherizier absent approval from OFAC in the form of a license.

            As alleged in the indictment, since Cherizier’s SDN designation in December 2020, Cherizier and Richardson together have led a wide-ranging conspiracy with individuals in the United States, Haiti, and elsewhere to raise funds for Cherizier’s gang activities in violation of the sanctions imposed on Cherizier. 

          In particular, Cherizier and Richardson directly solicited money transfers from members of the Haitian diaspora located in the United States. After sending funds to intermediaries in Haiti for Cherizier’s benefit, the U.S. and Haitian co-conspirators would send Cherizier images of receipts from the money transfers. Cherizier used these funds principally to pay salaries to the members of his gang and to acquire firearms from illicit firearms dealers in Haiti. 

          The FBI Miami Field Office and HSI Washington Field Office are investigating the case, with substantial assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Providing valuable support are the FBI Houston, Boston, and Charlotte Field Offices and the HSI Miami Field Office. 

          Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas N. Saunders for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Seifert, and former Trial Attorney Benjamin Koenigsfeld. Significant support was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. 

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