Vitel’Homme Innocent is the leader of Kraze Baryè, one of Haiti’s largest gangs. Based in Port-au-Prince, the gang shot to prominence in 2021 after collaborating with 400 Mawozo, an allied gang, to kidnap 17 Christian missionaries, including five children. Kraze Baryè translates roughly to “Breaking Barriers.”
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added Innocent to their Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in November 2023. Authorities accuse Innocent and members of his gang of crimes, including kidnapping for ransom, murder, armed rape, theft, destruction of property, and attacking Haiti’s security forces.
Kraze Baryè had an estimated 600 members in 2023, making it one of the largest gangs in Haiti. It is part of the G-Pèp alliance, which in February 2024, united with former rivals G9 and Family in a partnership called Viv Ansanm (Living Together), under the leadership of Jimmy Cherizier, alias “Barbecue.”
History
Innocent, born in 1986, was a political activist before turning to crime to maximize his influence, according to analysts consulted by InSight Crime. In a 2024 interview with CNN, Innocent claimed he once owned several legitimate businesses, including a hotel and rental car company, but said his enterprises were destroyed by powerful oligarchs.
Innocent became the leader of an armed group known as Kraze Baryè. As with many Haitian gangs, Kraze Baryè’s power increased following the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse.
An investigation by Haitian Police linked Innocent to Moïse’s murder. The investigation alleged that just days before the assassination, Innocent met Joseph Joël John, a former senator, political rival, and co-conspirator in Moïse’s killing, though police did not offer further detail on Innocent’s alleged role in the plot.
John was arrested and extradited to the US in May 2022, where he pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to assassinate Moïse. In his plea agreement, he admitted to soliciting support from Haitian criminal groups and introducing co-conspirators to gang leaders. His goal, he said, was to become Haiti’s next prime minister, but the plot “got out of hand.”
In the chaos after the assassination, several gangs, including Kraze Baryè, expanded aggressively into new districts of Port-au-Prince, causing a spike in violence. Innocent negotiated an alliance with 400 Mawozo, a powerful rival gang operating adjacent to Kraze Baryè. They agreed to collaborate to control and share criminal profits from the Croix-de-Bouquets district in the west of Port-au-Prince.
In October 2021, Innocent and his gang collaborated with 400 Mawozo in the high-profile kidnapping of 17 missionaries, according to the FBI. The gangs demanded a $1 million dollar ransom per victim and released the missionaries 61 days later after an anonymous donor paid an undisclosed sum. They allegedly spent the money on weapons, including AR-15s and AK-47s.
Kraze Baryè also developed expertise in targeting influential Haitians and successfully kidnapped the former president of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), the director of a major container port in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, and a leading journalist.
In September 2023, a Miami court indicted Innocent for the kidnapping of two US citizens, Marie Odette Franklin and Jean Franklin. According to the indictment, armed co-conspirators murdered Marie, and Innocent demanded a $300,000 ransom for Jean’s release. Family members eventually paid Innocent an undisclosed ransom, and he released Jean.
In November 2023, the FBI added Innocent to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and the US State Department offered $2 million for information leading to his arrest.
Criminal Activity
Vitel’Homme Innocent is wanted by Haitian law enforcement for crimes including kidnapping for ransom, theft, murder, rape, armed rape, vehicle theft, and destruction of property. US prosecutors indicted Innocent for his role in the kidnapping of 17 missionaries in 2021 and two US citizens in 2022, one of whom was murdered.
Innocent’s Kraze Baryè gang is reportedly one of the criminal groups recruiting the most children, according to the UN. What’s more, the US and UN Security Council sanctioned Innocent in December 2023, citing repeated human rights abuses by his gang, including the killing and raping of civilians.
Kraze Baryè has regularly attacked state institutions and Haitian security forces. In March 2023, the gang stormed a police station in Fort Jacques, looting guns and bulletproof vests before burning down the building. The following month, Kraze Baryè members attacked the building of the Jamaican consulate, forcing its closure.
Kraze Baryè is also known for targeting some of the wealthiest districts of Port-au-Prince. In August 2023, heavily armed gang members led by Innocent opened fire in the Vivy Mitchell district, just meters from the residence of former prime minister Ariel Henry. Innocent stated that it is his “dream to get rid of the oligarchs who prevent the country from progressing.”
If caught and extradited to the United States, Innocent faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Geography
Innocent and Kraze Baryè operate in Port-au-Prince, in the Ouest department of Haiti. The gang has strongholds in Torcelle, Delmas, and Tabarre, districts in the eastern part of the capital. In 2023, a report by the United Nations Panel of Experts also indicated that the gang controls large amounts of territory in Pétion-Ville, an affluent area in the eastern suburbs of Port-au-Prince.
US authorities believe Innocent currently lives in Tabarre, a district neighboring the US Haitian Embassy and is less than one kilometer from the country’s main international airport.
Allies and Enemies
Kraze Barye is part of Haiti’s G-Pèp gang alliance, with 400 Mawozo as its closest ally. The groups operate near one another and share profits from criminal activity. Though relations are currently cordial, they occasionally feud over territory. Both are powerful players in the G-Pèp and could ultimately become each other’s biggest enemy.
In February 2024, the G-Pèp allied with former rivals, G9 and Family, to form a new alliance called Viv Ansanm. Barbecue leads the new alliance, though Innocent also plays a prominent role.
In March 2024, Kraze Baryè participated with Viv Ansanm in coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince. The violence enabled 4,000 inmates to break out of prison, closed Haiti’s international airports, and forced the exile of then-prime-minister Ariel Henry. Henry resigned in April 2024, leaving Haiti without an elected leader.
Innocent has said that the gang coalition wants “amnesty” for their crimes and urged Haiti’s transitional government to find a resolution to the country’s security crisis “as soon as possible.” Barbecue has echoed Innocent’s diplomatic overtures on social media, stating, “Viv Ansanm is ready to talk,” adding, “It’s either we are all at the table, or the table gets destroyed with all of us.”
Prospects
US prosecutors have indicted Innocent for crimes that could lead to life imprisonment. However, Haiti’s security situation remains chaotic, with gangs more powerful than the Haitian security forces and the government.
Innocent lives within one kilometer of the International Airport, according to US prosecutors, which in June 2024 became the base of a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support operation. Despite this, Innocent has regularly been behind violence in districts adjacent to the US embassy, indicating that he continues to operate with a high degree of impunity even in supposedly secure areas of the Haitian capital.
While strengthened international support for the security mission could weaken the hold of Innocent and Kraze Baryè, the group’s close alliance with other powerful gangs, its extensive territorial control, and its expertise in executing lucrative and high-profile crimes make it unlikely that Innocent’s power will be challenged in the near future.