Nearly one full year ago, Vitel’Homme Innocent, leader of the notorious Kraze Barye gang, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for his alleged involvement in multiple kidnappings and killings in Haiti. He is the eleventh fugitive from the Miami Field Office to make the list.
“We applaud FBI Miami’s dedication to this case. It is our hope that with the placement on the top ten list, the reward, and the public’s help, Vitel’Homme Innocent will be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves in the original press release.
On November 15, 2023, the FBI Miami Field Officet, alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of State, marked Innocent’s placement as 532nd person placed on the list since its inception in 1950. A substantial reward of $2 million remains available for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Innocent is accused of orchestrating the October 2021 kidnapping of 16 U.S. Christian missionaries, including five children, in Haiti. The hostages were held captive for 61 days before most escaped. He is also linked to another incident that occured in October 2022, which resulted in an armed kidnapping of a U.S. citizen, during which another American, Marie Odette Franklin, was shot and killed.