US charges political rival in Haitian president’s killing

FILE - A person holds a photo of the late Haitian President Jovenel Moise during his memorial ceremony at the National Pantheon Museum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 20, 2021. Haiti's National Police said Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, that former Sen. John Joel Joseph, sought in the July 7 killing of Moise, has been arrested in Jamaica. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) (Matias Delacroix, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

MIAMI – Authorities say a former Haitian senator is facing charges in the United States related to last year’s assassination of former Haiti President Jovenel Moïse.

Court records show that John Joel Joseph made his initial court appearance Monday in Miami federal court.

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He was extradited from Jamaica to the U.S. on Friday.

He faces a possible life sentence.

According to a criminal complaint, Joseph and others, including about 20 Colombian citizens and several dual Haitian-American citizens, participated in a plot to kidnap or kill Haiti’s president, who was ultimately slain at his home in Haiti on July 7.

Joseph was arrested in Jamaica in January along with his wife and two sons.