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Doctor living in South Florida arrested in Haiti president's assassination

Police: Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, ringleader of last week's attack
Jovenel Moise
Posted at 4:17 PM, Jul 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-12 17:28:55-04

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nearly two dozen people have now been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise last week.

Investigators said one of the masterminds behind the attack is a Haitian doctor living in South Florida.

On the ground in Haiti, cars are on fire and there's more unrest just days after Moise was assassinated inside his home.

Investigators said the killers posed as DEA agents, and at least 29 people were involved, including 18 Colombians and three Haitian-Americans with ties to Florida.

Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, is accused of being one of the ringleaders.

Haiti's police chief said Sanon flew to Haiti in June on a private plane with political objectives. The chief said Sanon was working with a private firm to recruit Colombian mercenaries, and Sanon was the first person the attackers called after the president was shot last week.

Investigators also said James Solages, 35, and Joseph Vincent, 55, both from South Florida, have also been arrested.

James Solages, Joseph Vincent and other suspects in assassination of Haitian president
Suspects in the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise, among them Haitian-American citizens James Solages, left, and Joseph Vincent, second left, are shown to the media by police Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Moise was assassinated in an attack on his private residence.

A Haitian judge involved in the investigation said the two Haitian-Americans worked only as translators and were not in the room when Moise was assassinated.

"He never get in trouble with anybody. He's a good guy," said Schubert Dorisme, Solages' relative.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Solages worked for the Carlisle Palm Beach, spending two years as the plant operations director for the assisted living facility in Lantana before resigning this past spring.

James Solages and Joseph Vincent, South Florida residents accused in Haitian president's assassination
South Florida residents James Solages, left, and Joseph Vincent, second to left, are among the suspects in the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise.

"Mr. Solages ended his employment with the community earlier this year," Richard Tournesy, executive director of the Carlisle Palm Beach, told WPTV in a statement. "The community leadership team followed the community's hiring policies with respect to Mr. Solages, and at this time, we have no further information."

FBI and Homeland Security officials are in Haiti helping investigate.

The police chief officers also found a hat with the DEA logo, gun parts and bullets inside Sanon's home.

The president's wife, who was also shot in the attack, remains hospitalized in Miami.