A trio of Haiti-born naturalized U.S. citizens, including a North Carolina trucker, have been charged with a conspiracy to overthrow the Haitian government through the transfer of weapons and money to one of the island nation’s most powerful gang leaders. Bazille Richardson, the U.S. trucker, and two unidentified individuals now face federal charges of helping Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, a former police officer who is now the head of one of Haiti’s most powerful criminal organizations known as the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, as reported by the Miami Herald on Tuesday, citing a redacted copy of the indictment.
‘I grew up with BBQ’
Prosecutors say that Richardson is a close friend of Cherizier’s and that he planned to work with others within the United States, Haiti and elsewhere to bypass American sanctions in order to send weapons and tens of thousands of dollars to Cherizier. They accuse Richardson of using third parties and wiring the money through U.S. bank accounts, which was then used by Cherizier for weapons, vehicles and “soldiers’” salaries.
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According to a voice memo obtained by The Herald, Richardson told a co-conspirator, “I grew up with BBQ. I am not afraid of saying that the head of G9 is a close friend of mine, he is like a brother to me.”
How much money was sent?
According to prosecutors, Richardson sent at least $9,313 to assist criminal networks in Haiti between Sept. 27 and Oct. 12, 2021. In March 2024, they said that some Haitians in the United States were sending as much as $49,000 to people in Haiti.
Individuals would then withdraw the money and give it to gang members. Transactions were documented through screenshots taken by those who transferred the money for verification. By September 2024, prosecutors said that Richardson’s savings were depleted as he tried to get another co-conspirator to send $50,000 to Haiti.
Cherizier’s name is reportedly sealed in the indictment, but he is described in it. He is identified as a gang leader who “regularly communicated” with Richardson and others about his needs in Haiti.
The alleged plan
The Herald reports that a voice memo in 2022 also revealed that Richardson was offered a role serving “in the new government” once an overthrow was complete. Co-conspirators also reportedly set a goal of “targeting 1,000 Haitians living abroad” for donations to “start a revolution in Haiti.”
After acknowledging his alliance with “BBQ,” Richardson reportedly said, “People cannot scare me because I live in the U.S. and I am not trying to conspire against the U.S. [expletive] you, America. I am defending my country, which the U.S. Embassy is destroying.”
Richardson added that he knows only prison or death awaits him.
Prosecutors say Richardson and his accomplices “led a wide-ranging conspiracy” to raise money for the gang leader. They highlighted Richardson’s reported remarks, which included, “They are watching everything because of the sanctions,” while giving directions to someone on how to send money to Haiti.
Authorities have been investigating Richardson since 2022 and arrested him in Houston last month.
A designated FTO
Cherizier runs an alliance of gangs that officials say is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people and whose ultimate goal is to overthrow the Haitian government –– while already succeeding in forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
The Herald reports that Cherizier’s coalition now controls most of Haiti’s capital and has exacerbated one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Cherizier is listed as a global and foreign terrorist by the U.S. government, and Viv Ansanm is designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” (FTO).
The designation allows anyone found guilty of assisting the criminal organization to be considered terrorists and face harsh penalties, including potentially being sent to El Salvador’s infamous Terrorism Confinement Center, also known as CECOT.
The facility is the largest maximum-security prison in Latin America, as reported by The Herald, citing a senior State Department official.
Currently, the FBI is offering a $5 million bounty for Cherizier.
