A South Florida man, who helped launder money used to support the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Keegan Harricharan, 42, of Coral Springs, was sentenced on July 23 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

US prosecutors said he laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds that were later used to help finance the plot to kill Moïse.

According to US authorities, Harricharan and others fraudulently obtained about US$840,827 through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programmes created under the CARES Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigators said Harricharan later met repeatedly in South Florida with members of the conspiracy, where they discussed plans to remove Moïse from power, install a new Haitian government and secure funding, weapons, ammunition and personnel for the operation.

Prosecutors said Harricharan agreed to use his company, TNR Holding Group Incorporated, to receive and transfer money that supported the conspiracy. 

Between May and June 2021, he transferred more than US$255,000 to co-conspirators, including funds obtained through fraudulent pandemic relief loans.

The conspiracy culminated on July 7, 2021, when a group of Colombian mercenaries stormed Moïse’s residence in Port-au-Prince. 

The Haitian president was shot multiple times and killed, while First Lady Martine Moïse was seriously wounded.

Four other men — Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Junior Solages — were convicted following a nine-week jury trial in May. 

Christian Emmanuel Sanon is due to stand trial later this year, while Jacob Israel, who also pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy, is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said the case demonstrated how financial crimes can fuel far more serious offences.

“This defendant did not simply commit fraud,” Reding Quiñones said. “He exploited pandemic relief programmes meant to keep small businesses alive during a national crisis and laundered those stolen taxpayer funds to help advance a conspiracy that ended in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.”

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations Miami.