A South Florida businessman has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for helping finance the plot that led to the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, marking another major development in the U.S. investigation into the 2021 killing.
On Thursday, a federal judge in Miami sentenced Keegan Harricharan, 42, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Harricharan laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds that were used to support the operation that ultimately resulted in Moïse’s assassination on July 7, 2021, at his private residence in Port-au-Prince.
Federal prosecutors said Harricharan used his Florida-based company, TNR Holding Group Inc., to obtain and move more than $840,000 in fraudulently acquired funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Investigators said part of that money was used to pay for travel, lodging, equipment, vehicles, and other logistical expenses tied to the group involved in the conspiracy.
Court records show the operation was initially presented to some participants as a mission to arrest or remove President Moïse from office. However, the plan escalated into an assassination, ending with armed men storming the president’s home and fatally shooting him in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021. His wife, former First Lady Martine Moïse, was seriously injured during the attack.
During sentencing, prosecutors argued that Harricharan played a critical financial role by ensuring money continued to flow to those involved in the operation. Although he was not present in Haiti during the assassination, the court found that his financial support helped make the conspiracy possible.
Harricharan’s sentencing is the latest in a series of convictions tied to the U.S. portion of the investigation. Several other defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted in federal court, while additional criminal cases remain pending as authorities continue working to hold everyone involved accountable.
The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse plunged Haiti into deeper political instability and intensified a security crisis that continues to affect the country today. Nearly five years later, investigations in both the United States and Haiti remain ongoing as officials seek justice for one of the most significant political crimes in Haiti’s recent history.
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