00:00Thank you. Good afternoon. I'm Ivan Arvello, Assistant Director for Homeland Security Investigations.
00:08The unsealing of this indictment marks the culmination of a nearly three-year investigation
00:13into Jimmy Chassier's illicit activities and involves identifying Chassier's firearm procurement
00:18and trafficking networks, fundraising operations, and the movement and misuse of U.S. dollars
00:24in violation of U.S. sanctions. His actions fueled gang and terrorist operations that have oppressed
00:30and devastated the Haitian people. Chassier's shift from Haitian law enforcement to violent gang leader
00:37was marked by his alleged involvement in the 2018 La Saline massacre. This horrific event
00:43resulted in 71 murders and the destruction of 400 homes as civilians residents of La Saline
00:51neighborhood and Port-au-Prince were caught in the middle of a gang battlefield with chaos and
00:56destruction. Over the years, international organizations have linked Chassier to several
01:01additional instances of human right abuses. Today marks a significant step in bringing his reign of
01:07terror to an end. It's a principal investigative component of DHS, responsible for investigating,
01:14disrupting, and dismantling transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups who are seeking
01:20to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States. HSI worked with our federal
01:26partners to identify Chassier's various methods and networks, using U.S. assets and financial
01:32institutions to fund this gang, procure weapons of war, and extend its power. Stap of investigation falls
01:39under HSI's counter-proliferation and export enforcement mission to detect, disrupt, and dismantle illicit
01:46international procurement networks operating on behalf of foreign adversaries, terrorist groups, and
01:51transnational criminal organizations. These criminal groups utilized complex strategies to acquire
01:57American weapon systems, sensitive technology, financial assets, and other resources to commit crimes across
02:04the Gulf, endangering Americans both domestically and abroad. This case has been a great example of
02:11federal law enforcement agencies working together to leverage each other's strengths and unique
02:15authorities in furtherance of a common goal, promoting national security, and pursuing a barbaric
02:22warlord who used our nation's resources to commit acts of violence and terror. I'd like to extend my most
02:29heartfelt thanks to our federal law enforcement partners of the FBI, the DEA, the ATF, the Department of State,
02:37the U.S. Attorney's Office of Washington, D.C., and the Department of Justice National Security Division for the
02:43Invaluable partnership and Relentless efforts in making this indictment happen. Thank you, and good afternoon.
02:49And finally, Chris Landberg, State Department Senior Bureau official.
02:55Good afternoon. Thank you, U.S. Attorney Piro, for hosting us. Thanks to our law enforcement partners.
03:01Again, I'm Chris Landberg. I'm the Senior Bureau official of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the State Department. We're known as INL.
03:09Today, the Department of State, along with our federal law enforcement partners, is taking action to protect our nation,
03:16to protect the American people, and protect the hemisphere from foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs.
03:22The Department of State is announcing a reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and or conviction of Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier,
03:33also known as, as my colleagues have said, by the name Barbecue. And there's a poster right here related to this reward offer.
03:41We're offering this reward for Cherizier under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program because he is the leader of Vive Ensemble, which was designated by Secretary of State Rubio as an FTO and specially designated global terrorist organization in May of this year.
03:58As Secretary Rubio declared in his designation announcement, the age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over.
04:08We seek the public's help in bringing Cherizier to justice for not only the people of Haiti, but also to prevent the spread of Ivan Sam's unchecked violence throughout the hemisphere, including affecting the United States.
04:21His reign of terror and mass violence against Haiti must end. The instability resulting from his actions has the potential to drive illegal immigration to our borders and increase transnational crime.
04:33The State Department will continue to apply its tools, including rewards programs, to combat the scourge of transnational organized crime and associated violence,
04:42and especially to stop the worst of the worst criminal ringleaders threatening the people of our hemisphere.
04:48So I'm going to repeat the information mentioned by my colleagues.
04:51If you have information, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
05:02Help us find and convict this menace to the hemisphere, Jimmy Cherizier.
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