Washington , D.C. – A federal grand jury has indicted four Haitian nationals on charges of conspiracy and hostage taking of an 18-year-old American citizen in Port Au Prince, Haiti , U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

A federal grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia returned a 2-count indictment, on April 29, 2008, that charges Lucson Renaldo Destine, 23, Levoyant Jules, 26, Rochel Succes, 22, and Richardo Desir Theard, 30, all of Port Au Prince, Haiti, with the April 2007 hostage taking. If convicted of the charges, the defendants face up to life imprisonment.

The offense charged in the indictment stems from an incident that took place on the evening of April 13, 2007, when the defendants kidnaped the 18-year-old victim, an American citizen, at gunpoint as he was waiting to pick up his younger sister from a residence she was visiting in Port Au Prince, Haiti . The victim was taken to a house under construction and held captive there overnight while the kidnappers negotiated with the victim’s family the payment of $400,000.00 U.S. dollars as ransom in exchange for the victim’s safe release. The following afternoon, the Anti-Kidnaping Unit of the Haitian National Police and the United Nations Civilian Police rescued the victim at that house, capturing three of the defendants at the scene and the fourth defendant a short time later.

In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Taylor commended the excellent work of the lead investigators in the case, FBI Special Agent Carlos Monero of the Miami Field Office and Special Agent Michael Greene of the Atlanta Field Office. He also commended the U.S. Embassy in Port Au Prince, Haiti; the Legal Attaché Office of the FBI in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and the outstanding investigative skills of the Anti-Kidnaping Unit of the Haitian National Police and the United Nations Civilian Police, which resulted in the victim’s safe rescue and the quick apprehension of the defendants. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Schmidt, who indicted and is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of law. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.