U.S. Offers $5 Million Reward for Capture Of Haitian Gang Leader “Barbecue”

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Tues. Aug. 12, 2025: The United States government has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, better known as “Barbecue.”

Sanctioned Gang Leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier with G-9 federation gang members in the Delmas 3 area on February 22, 2024 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs revealed the offer under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP). The bounty is linked to Cherizier’s leadership of Viv Ansanm, a gang designated by the Secretary of State on May 2, 2025, as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

U.S. authorities say Cherizier is a central figure in the spiraling gang violence gripping Haiti and is directly tied to mass murders, rapes, and other severe human rights abuses against Haitian civilians.

Cherizier was previously sanctioned in December 2020 – alongside two Haitian public officials – under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for his alleged role in the La Saline massacre.

The latest announcement comes alongside the unsealing of an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Prosecutors have charged Cherizier with conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Authorities allege that he conspired to evade restrictions imposed by the U.S. in 2020.

His co-defendant, Brazile Richardson, appeared in court in Washington, D.C., today.

The TOCRP reward program aims to disrupt global transnational crime and bring fugitives to justice. Those with information are urged to contact:

FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form

Tips can also be provided at any U.S. Embassy or Consulate worldwide. All identities will be kept strictly confidential, officials stressed.