Dolly Parton knew that her nephew Bryan Seaver, who was her longtime head of security, was involved in efforts to arm the Haitian National Police and she supported the endeavor, Seaver's business associate told The Tennessean.
Fencebridge Strategic Risk COO Andrew Day said Parton was "very aware and supportive" after learning about it several years ago.
Parton, who was known to surprise police officers with a "big hug," supported disaster relief efforts as well as security forces like the U.S. Army National Guard. Her late husband, Carl Dean, was a National Guard veteran. In 2018, the FBI gave the Director's Community Leadership Award to the Dollywood Foundation for supporting disaster relief work in Tennessee.
In a story originally reported by
The Miami Herald, Day said a "complex arms deal" included a $15 million payment from the Haitian government. Day said permits for the transaction were secured ahead of time with help from former U.S. Rep. Mark E. Green. Although some of the ammunition was delivered, Fencebridge was not fully paid and at least $7 million remains unaccounted for, the Herald reported.
The Tennessean has contacted Green for comment. He represented Tennessee's 7th Congressional District before resigning just months after his reelection in 2025 for a private-sector opportunity.
Seaver responded to reporting on the Herald's story in an Oct. 20 social media post. He described his company as "a few guys doing the right thing the right way" who are dedicated to transparency on the project, which he said is being conducted "correctly and legally." His company is simply waiting on more payments to continue buying the guns and ammunition, he said.
"Fencebridge covered the cost of flying a vintage Peruvian 707 cargo jet into Port-au-Prince with 31 tons of ammunition out of Miami Airport to the hot LZ [landing zone] and timely situation that Port-au-Prince has become," Seaver wrote, referring to the Haitian government's ongoing battle against violent criminal gangs. The violence has caused at least 21,000 deaths in Haiti since 2020, according to the United Nations.
Day said he and Seaver have "previous experience exporting weapons and ammo to various countries throughout our careers." The deal in Haiti, Day told The Tennessean, was the "largest and most complex" contract they have taken on to date.
The U.S. has instituted a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory for Haiti due to extreme levels of crime and civil unrest. The Federal Aviation Administration has also banned U.S. aircraft from flying into Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, after several incidents of commercial flights being struck by gunfire near the airport in 2024.
Seaver said his company has more arms ready to ship if Fencebridge Strategic Risk is paid in full.
"We have been completely above board on all of it and did our best to conduct good business with an embargoed nation," Seaver wrote in his social media post.
Seaver has a Nov. 3 court date after a judge granted a restraining order against him.
She's Alive LLC, a company created to assist in overseeing Parton's professional property trust, sued Seaver and his security company Sept. 22. Parton's former manager Danny Nozell runs the company.
In the lawsuit, Nozell said Seaver sent him threatening messages and said employees were afraid to come to work.
Seaver said in court filings that the messages were never meant to be threatening and were merely banter between close friends.
"The full message threads … show Mr. Nozell laughing at, hearting and encouraging the very messages (She's Alive LLC) now calls threats," court records said.
Nozell founded Fencebridge in 2015, his representative confirmed. Day told The Tennessean that Nozell was aware of the company's area of business. Both said Nozell stepped away from the company soon after it was created.
Nozell was not involved in the Haiti transaction. The company was dissolved in Tennessee and reformed as a new entity registered in Grand Cayman, where it operates today under Seaver's leadership.
Parton first learned of the Haiti transaction after Miley Cyrus' New Year's Eve event in Miami, which took place on Dec. 31, 2022, Day said. She and Seaver subsequently spoke about the ongoing deal, Day said, during a "flight to Germany for her cancer treatment."
Chris Parton is a music reporter for The Tennessean. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram @partonikusmax. He is not directly related to Dolly Parton or her extended family.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton was 'supportive' of Haiti arms deal, business leader says | Exclusive
