Feds unseal charges against 'Barbecue,' Haitian gang leader with $5M bounty on his head

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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Tuesday announced an indictment in Washington, D.C., accusing Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier and Bazile Richardson, a naturalized U.S. citizen, of conspiring to send U.S. funds to finance Chérizier's Haitian gang.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Chérizier is a fugitive and is believed to be in Haiti.

His co-defendant, Richardson, who also goes by "Fredo," "Fred Lion," "Leo Danger," and "Lepe Blode," was arrested in Pasadena, Texas on July 23. 

Pirro said Tuesday that Chérizier is a gang leader who orchestrated and committed various acts of violence against Haitians.

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In 2020, the U.S. sanctioned Chérizier under the Magnitsky Act for his alleged human rights violations. His indictment makes it the first of its kind for an individual sanctioned under the international Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, Pirro added.

Richardson and Chérizier grew up together in Haiti, though the former later became a naturalized U.S. citizen and was living in North Carolina.

Richardson was indicted for allegedly sending money to Chérizier, knowing that he had been sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act.

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"I want to let the public know that anyone who was giving money to Chérizier, also known as Barbecue, because of his violent acts in his home country, cannot say 'I didn't know. I didn't know that he was sanctioned by the U.S government,'" Pirro said. "They will be prosecuted, and we will find them because they are supporting an individual who was committing human rights abuses. And we will not look the other way."

The State Department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program announced Tuesday that it is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Chérizier. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the State Department.

"There's a good reason that there's a $5 million reward for information leading to Chérizier's arrest. He's a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights abuses, including violence against American citizens in Haiti," Pirro said. "The U.S. government sanctioned Chérizier 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."

Court documents show that Chérizier is a former officer in the Haitian National Police and leader of a gang known as the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies, which helped create a gang alliance called Viv Ansanm. The alliance united many of Haiti's criminal gangs in opposition to the legitimate government of Haiti.

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The indictment alleges Chérizier and Richardson, after Chérizier was sanctioned, led a wide-ranging conspiracy with people in the U.S., Haiti and other places to raise money for Chérizier's gang activities, in violation of the sanctions.

Specifically, the two men solicited money from members of the Haitian diaspora in the U.S.

"After sending funds to intermediaries in Haiti for Chérizier's benefit, the U.S. and Haitian co-conspirators would send Chérizier images of receipts from money transfers," the DOJ said. "Chérizier used these funds principally to pay salaries to the members of his gang and to acquire firearms from illicit firearms dealers in Haiti."

The Trump administration, in May, designated Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif - two of Haiti's most powerful gang networks - as foreign terrorist organizations and specifically designated terrorists.

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The move was aimed at disrupting the gangs' operations and supporting efforts to restore order in the troubled Caribbean nation.

The designations brought serious legal consequences. Individuals or entities that provide material support to Viv Ansanm or Gran Grif could face criminal charges, loss of immigration benefits or removal from the U.S.