Gordon Phenil Desir was arrested in Haiti as testimony in a Miami trial linked him to people accused of plotting against President Jovenel Moïse.
By The Haitian Tribune Staff
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian attorney and former political party leader Gordon Phenil Desir was transferred to U.S. custody Saturday after being arrested in Haiti, according to authorities and his lawyer.
Desir was arrested three days earlier by a judicial unit of the Haitian National Police. His lawyer said officers took him into custody outside his law office in Pétion-Ville, near the Dominican Republic’s consulate. Haitian authorities confirmed the arrest.
Desir’s name has appeared in investigations into the July 7, 2021, killing of President Jovenel Moïse. Moïse was shot in his residence after armed Colombian men entered the home. A Haitian investigative judge later indicted Desir and more than 50 others, including former first lady Martine Moïse. Desir was among those appealing the charges. His arrest came despite his previous appearances in Haitian court.
The transfer to U.S. custody occurred as prosecutors in Miami presented testimony in the federal case against Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a South Florida pastor accused of participating in a conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moïse and overthrow his government. Prosecutors say Sanon was not at the president’s residence during the assassination but argue that his political ambitions and financial motives helped advance the plan. Sanon has denied wrongdoing.
Witnesses have described Desir as an associate of Sanon who allegedly helped transport Colombian former soldiers around Port-au-Prince, obtain food for them and interpret conversations. Former Colombian soldier Mario Palacios testified that Desir was among people close to Sanon who assisted the group.
Palacios also told jurors that the Colombians were instructed to pose as religious missionaries traveling to visit “Pastor Gordon” if questioned while crossing into Haiti from the Dominican Republic. He testified that the claim was false.
According to Palacios, the group went to a house associated with Desir after arriving in Port-au-Prince. There, they encountered Haitian Americans James Solages and Joseph Vincent, along with Colombian former soldiers Duberney Capador Giraldo and Germán Alejandro Rivera García. Solages was convicted in the Miami case earlier this year. Vincent and Rivera pleaded guilty, while Capador was killed during the investigation in Haiti.
Text messages presented at trial reportedly showed Desir and another Sanon associate, Ashkard Pierre, communicating with members of a Florida security company about obtaining firearms for the Colombians. Prosecutors have not established publicly whether Sanon knew about those efforts.
Former Haitian Sen. Joseph Joel John, who has also testified for prosecutors, said he met with Desir several times during early discussions about capturing Moïse and removing him from Haiti. John described meetings at a Port-au-Prince hotel, Sanon’s office, Desir’s law office and another location in Delmas.
John and Palacios have pleaded guilty in the U.S. case and are cooperating with prosecutors. Both men face the possibility of reduced sentences for their assistance.
As the trial continued, prosecutors also questioned John about other Haitian political figures and defendants, including Pierre, gang leader Vitel’homme Innocent and Joseph Felix Badio. Their indictments broadened the federal case as prosecutors sought to connect Sanon to a wider alleged conspiracy.
The allegations against Desir remain part of ongoing legal proceedings. His transfer to U.S. custody does not determine his guilt.
The Haitian Tribune Newsroom
