Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment detailing how a Florida-based security firm allegedly used fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds to finance the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. The case, reported by The Daily Wire, outlines a scheme that diverted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) proceeds to recruit Colombian mercenaries and procure military equipment for the operation.
According to the indictment, CTU Security LLC, a company operating out of Doral and Miami, Florida, posed as a personal protection and security firm. Prosecutors allege that CTU and associated companies used proceeds from PPP and COVID disaster loans to “recruit, hire, and otherwise materially provide for Colombian mercenaries and others” as part of a planned coup d’état in Haiti, including the “planned killing or kidnapping of President Moïse.” The motive, the indictment suggests, was to secure future infrastructure and security contracts in Haiti by installing a leader who would reward the conspirators with government business.
How the Alleged Scheme Worked
The indictment names Worldwide Investment Development Group LLC, another Florida entity, as the starting point for the fraud. According to the DOJ, the conspirators used shell companies—including names like “Dragonzplay” and “Agatha Construction”—to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID relief funds by fabricating payrolls and employees. The money was allegedly disbursed with little to no scrutiny.
Worldwide then extended a $175,000 line of credit to CTU, earmarked for military equipment, including ballistic vests. A principal of Worldwide also allegedly paid $9,000 to fund the travel of approximately 18 Colombian nationals with military training to Haiti, and $15,000 for ammunition.
To ship the ballistic vests from Florida to Haiti, the conspirators allegedly disguised them as “X-ray protective vests” to get past customs. The indictment describes a conversation between the head of CTU and Florida businessman Frederick Bergman, in which Bergman suggested using his research company to ship the vests. The ruse apparently succeeded, and the equipment was distributed the night before the assassination.
The hit squad, composed of Colombian mercenaries and some Haitians, carried out the assassination in the early hours of July 7, 2021. According to contemporaneous reporting, the attackers arrived at Moïse’s fortified private residence in a convoy of two vans and three pickup trucks. They announced themselves as DEA agents over a megaphone, wearing fake DEA tactical vests. The president’s security detail, reportedly numbering around 10, offered no resistance and allowed the fake agents inside. Moïse was shot dead, and his wife was wounded. Some of the assailants were later arrested or killed by Haitian police.
Defense Claims and Broader Implications
The defendants argue they were acting on lawful orders from a Haitian judge and believed they had U.S. government approval. The New York Times reported that jurors heard evidence that Arcángel Pretel, a principal of CTU, was a longtime FBI informant who earned $138,000 over a decade providing information to the FBI and DEA. Prosecutors told jurors that Pretel never informed his FBI handlers of the plot to kill Moïse.
The assassination has plunged Haiti deeper into turmoil, with gang violence surging and no elected successor to Moïse. The country has yet to hold elections or fill its parliament.
The case represents an extreme example of COVID relief fraud, which has already seen billions of dollars stolen through fake companies and fabricated payrolls. The indictment suggests that at least one group of fraudsters used the stolen funds to finance an international political assassination—a scenario that prosecutors say was driven by greed and a desire for even larger contracts.
As the trial proceeds, the full extent of the conspiracy and the role of U.S. agencies will likely face further scrutiny. For now, the indictment stands as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in pandemic-era relief programs and the lengths to which some were willing to go to exploit them.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/shocking-this-is-the-worst-example-of-covid-fraud-and-its-not-even-close