WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, a.k.a. 'Barbecue.'
Cherizier, 48, from Port-au-Prince, is the leader of Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. Government designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in May. He is a central figure responsible for gang violence in Haiti. Notorious for his total disregard of human dignity, Cherizier is directly involved in the mass murder and rape of Haitian civilians, the U.S. Department of State said in a pess release.
In December 2020, Cherizier and two Haitian public officials were designated for sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Global Magnitsky) for their roles in the La Saline massacre and severe human rights abuses in Haiti.
Tuesday, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment of Cherizier in the District of Columbia, charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions. Cherizier avoided sanctions placed on him in 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Act.
His co-defendant, Brazile Richardson, was charged with leading a conspiracy to transfer funds from the United States to Cherizier to fund his gang activities in Haiti in violation of the U.S sanctions imposed on Cherizier.
Cherizier is a fugitive believed to be in Haiti, while Richardson, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested on July 23 in Pasadena, Texas, and made his initial court appearance in the District of Columbia.
Cherizier and Richardson directly solicited money transfers from members of the Haitian diaspora residing 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 to pay salaries to the members of his gang and to acquire firearms from illicit firearms dealers in Haiti.
'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. List of links to 143 music stories I did and published on Rttnews.com between 21-6-2025 and 20-7-2025
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