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A group of 17 Colombian commandos accused of taking part in the brutal killing was flown out of Haiti on Sunday, October 20, 2026 along with former government functionary Joseph Felix Badio. All were transferred to the United States.<\/p>\n
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A key suspect in the July 7, 2021, assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Mo\u00efse<\/a> was flown out of Haiti on Sunday by U.S. authorities, along with a group of 17 jailed Colombian commandos accused of taking part in the brutal killing.<\/p>\n A U.S. military aircraft arrived on the tarmac at Port-au-Prince\u2019s international airport shortly before 11 a.m., and several people familiar with the operation told the Miami Herald that it was there to pick up Joseph F\u00e9lix Badio, a former government functionary indicted in Haiti in connection with the assassination, as well as the Colombians former soldiers accused of taking part in the killing.<\/p>\n Initially, there was much confusion whether Badio was among those being extradited. Though he had left the prison along with the Colombians on Sunday, Haitian authorities were resistant to handing him over, given that he is a major part of their own slow-moving inquiry. But soon, his name appeared on a flight manifest that was obtained by the Herald, along with the Colombians. All were dressed in blue jumpsuits as they were seen boarding the large gray military aircraft.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Jason A. Reding Qui\u00f1ones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, confirmed the extradition, saying \u201c18 transported in military plane from Haiti to face American justice in the Southern District of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday marks the next major phase in our pursuit of accountability for the assassination of President Jovenel Mo\u00efse,\u201d he said. \u201cOur work did not end with the men who planned and carried out this assassination. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, to those who financed, facilitated it, supported it, or committed crimes to make it possible. Five years later, we are still bringing defendants before American courts, and we are not finished.\u201d<\/p>\n So far 30 individuals have been indicted,<\/a> Qui\u00f1ones noted, for their involvement in the killing, which led to a political vacuum that further plunged Haiti into gang-fueled chaos.<\/p>\n Due to the sensitivity of the case, officials declined to comment. In South Florida, lawyers involved in the sprawling federal prosecution said they were unaware of the transfer. They noted, however, that the high-profile case in Miami federal court was recently placed under seal, an indication that new charges or defendants have been added.<\/p>\n The extradition of Badio and the Colombians to the U.S. by the Justice Department comes days before the final major suspect in U.S. custody, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a South Florida resident who wanted to replace Mo\u00efse as president, is scheduled to go on trial<\/a>. Before Sunday, Sanon was the last major defendant already in U.S. custody awaiting trial on the case.<\/p>\n Sanon was indicted with several others, including four South Florida men who were convicted earlier this year on conspiracy charges stemming from the plot to kidnap or kill the president. His trial was delayed because of health issues.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Who was involved in killing of Haiti president Jovenel Moise?<\/a><\/p>\n During the trial of the four men \u2014 including the owners of a Doral-area security firm that hired the Colombian commandos to go to Haiti \u2014 Badio\u2019s name was repeatedly raised in testimony and evidence presented by both the defense and prosecutors. Text messages presented at trial showed him playing a pivotal role as the plot evolved from plans to kidnap Mo\u00efse and remove him from power into an assassination.<\/p>\n Several individuals who pleaded guilty in the case and were at a mountaintop house on the night the former Colombian soldiers stormed the president\u2019s private residence testified about Badio\u2019s presence. One witness said Badio was responsible for giving the signal to the group to leave the house they were staying at and head down the mountain toward Mo\u00efse\u2019s residence.<\/p>\n Badio also allegedly armed the Colombians told the Colombians that Mo\u00efse kept a suitcase containing cash in his second-floor bedroom and directed them to its location, as well as two firearms in the house. Mo\u00efse did not use the high-powered rifles during the attack, in which he was shot a dozen times.<\/p>\n Haitian police arrested Badio in October 2023<\/a> after he was spotted inside a P\u00e9tion-ville supermarket after he had spent more than two years in hiding. He has maintained his innocence and indicated he has information about the assassination.<\/p>\n A U.S. permanent resident, Badio had a home in New York. During the earlier federal trial, it was noted that the mortgage on his house was paid off after the killing.<\/p>\n The timing of the extradition raises questions about how the proceedings will unfold in the coming week. While Badio was featured prominently in the first trial, it\u2019s questionable whether all the Colombians, who were hired to protect Sanon, were aware of the plot to kill Mo\u00efse, 53.<\/p>\n News of the unexpected transfer stunned relatives of the Colombian former soldiers, who had been preparing for their cases to move forward in Haiti and were given no advance indication that they could instead be sent to the United States, family members contacted by the Herald said.<\/p>\n Milena Carmona, whose husband, retired Lt. James Carmona, is among the Colombians jailed in connection with Mo\u00efse\u2019s assassination, said she had just shared the news with a group of relatives when mothers, wives and other family members began asking what was happening.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t know. We didn\u2019t know,\u201d Carmona said. \u201cWe were supposed to be waiting for hearings\u201d in Haiti. She said she had been preparing a response to a request from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights when she learned about the transfer.<\/p>\n The prospect of facing a criminal case in the United States has created a new worry for families who say they have struggled for years to pay legal expenses in Haiti. Relatives said they have limited resources and had resorted to organizing bazaars, games and raffles to raise money toward the Colombians\u2019 legal costs. They now fear they will be unable to afford private criminal defense attorneys in the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, obviously, it will be very difficult \u2014 very, very difficult \u2014 because our resources are absolutely scarce,\u201d Carmona said. \u201cWhat we used to do was bazaars and games and raffles and everything to be able to cover at least some of the costs. Now imagine a criminal lawyer. That is much more expensive. We have no way to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n The transfer also left relatives with mixed feelings after years of frustration over the slow-moving proceedings in Haiti. Family members had repeatedly sought intervention from the Colombian government over the detainees\u2019 situation, but they said Sunday\u2019s development was not the resolution they had been seeking. \u201cI don\u2019t see any options,\u201d Carmona said of the prospect of proceedings in the United States. \u201cI\u2019m trying to organize my thoughts. I don\u2019t know what to think.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 12:30 PM.<\/p>\n