Lauderhill man pleads guilty to smuggling at least 140 firearms to Haiti
Key Points(5)
- A 53-year-old Lauderhill man has pleaded guilty to his role in a firearms trafficking operation that illegally exported at least 140 firearms from the United States to Haiti over several years, federal prosecutors said.
- Jean Robert Casimir, a naturalized U.S.
- citizen and former Haitian National Police officer, pleaded guilty Aug.
- District Court to conspiracy, smuggling and violations of U.S.
- According to court documents, Casimir illegally exported at least 140 firearms to Haiti between August 2020 and December 2024 without obtaining the required license from the U.S.
A 53-year-old Lauderhill man has pleaded guilty to his role in a firearms trafficking operation that illegally exported at least 140 firearms from the United States to Haiti over several years, federal prosecutors said.
Jean Robert Casimir, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former Haitian National Police officer, pleaded guilty Aug. 4 in U.S. District Court to conspiracy, smuggling and violations of U.S. export control laws.
According to court documents, Casimir illegally exported at least 140 firearms to Haiti between August 2020 and December 2024 without obtaining the required license from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.
Casimir purchased at least 108 firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers and another 30 to 35 firearms from a person in Florida, prosecutors said. The weapons included rifles, pistols and shotguns of various makes and models.
Investigators said Casimir and his co-conspirators used multiple methods to conceal the firearms before shipping them to Haiti. In one method, they cut open industrial air compressors, concealed disassembled rifles and handguns inside them using foam insulation, and then welded the compressors back together.
The packages were subsequently shipped to Haiti aboard boats departing from the Miami area, according to court documents.
Casimir was arrested Dec. 16, 2024, in Lauderhill and was indicted in January 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Miami Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C., and HSI Miami, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officials involved in the case included Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia, FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles and HSI Miami Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Dean for the District of Columbia and Justice Department National Security Division Trial Attorney Beau Barnes, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159, which directs federal agencies to work together to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations, cartels, gangs and human smuggling and trafficking networks.
Federal officials said the task force is focused on using interagency cooperation to investigate criminal organizations operating in the United States and abroad.
Casimir's sentencing date was not included in the Justice Department's Aug. 4 announcement.
