A man with ties to Palm Beach County is on trial in Miami for his alleged role in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Opening statements began Tuesday in the case against Christian
Emmanuel Sanon, 67 . He is accused of having taken part in the Haitian conspiracy which started in South Florida and grew until it included countries such as Columbia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
On July 7, 2021, Colombia soldiers stormed Moïse's home in the hills of Port-au-Prince in the middle of the night. They shot Moïse a dozen times and seriously injured his wife, who had to be taken to a Miami hospital for surgery. Their two adult children were unharmed.
Since the assassination, Haiti has been in unrest. Here's what we know about Sanon's role in the plot.
Who is Christian Emmanuel Sanon?
At the time of his arrest, the Miami Herald described Sanon as a "Haitian doctor who has been a fixture in Florida for more than two decades."
Public records show that Sanon has had an apartment Renaissance Commons in Boynton Beach, near Congress Avenue and Gateway Boulevard. Records also show he owned a property in Brandon, near Tampa, and the Herald reported he also has had a Margate address.
Public records showed that as of July 2021, he has had businesses ranging from medical services to energy to real estate registered in Florida, the Herald found. Most were inactive.
Records also did not show a medical license for him in Florida, where he filed a federal bankruptcy case in Tampa in 2013. Court records say he is a a doctor who has worked in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and a YouTube biography video says he studied medicine in the Dominican Republic.
In his bankruptcy filing, Sanon also said he was a pastor at Tabarre Evangelical Tabernacle, 5 miles outside Port-au-Prince, the Herald reported.
What are his charges?
Sanon is charged with conspiracy having worked with associates to hire and send a team to carry out Moïse's death. If found guilty, he faces life in prison.
He has also received numerous charges for stemming from the illegal shipment of bulletproof vests for the Colombian soldiers.
What is going on with his trial?
The case is being presided by U.S. District Judge Jaqueline Becerra. Sanon is being represented by attorneys Humberto Dominguez and Zeljka Bozanic. The prosecution is made up of attorneys Sean T. McLaughlin, Jason Wu and Altanese Phenelus.
According to the Herald, Sanon was initially scheduled to stand trial with with four co-defendants: Antonio "Tony" Intriago, Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages. who was the plant operations director for the Carlisle Palm Beach, a senior living site in Lantana, for two years until he resigned in April 2021, The Palm Beach Post reported.
The four other men were found guilty in May of conspiracy, their sentencing is scheduled for February of next year. Health issues delayed prosecution of Sanon's case.
Arianna Otero covers breaking news for The Palm Beach Post. Contact her via email at AOtero@pbpost.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Man on trial in Haitian president assassination has Boynton Beach ties
