Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier has been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, with the U.S. government offering up to $5 million for information that leads to his arrest or conviction. A former officer in the Haitian National Police, Chérizier now heads the powerful G9 Family and Allies gang alliance, which has been linked to mass killings, kidnappings, and widespread violence that is destabilizing Haiti. He also leads a broader coalition known as Viv Ansanm, which, along with another group called Gran Grif, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
Recently, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., unsealed an indictment charging Chérizier with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions. Prosecutors allege that he collaborated with Bazile Richardson, a naturalized U.S. citizen arrested in Texas, to facilitate the transfer of funds from the Haitian diaspora to finance gang operations, pay members, and procure firearms. These actions are said to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Chérizier has been under U.S. sanctions since 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Act due to his involvement in human rights abuses, including the infamous 2018 La Saline massacre in Port-au-Prince. Despite ongoing international pressure, he remains at large in Haiti, continuing to wield significant influence over the capital and posing a serious challenge to the country’s already fragile security situation.
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