Vitel'Homme Innocent (; born March 27, 1986) is a Haitian gang leader who was added to the

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William ...

list on November 15, 2023, for his role in the 2021 Haitian missionary kidnappings. A reward of up to 2 million US dollars was offered for information leading to his capture. On July 1, 2025, Innocent was removed from the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list after it was determined that he no longer fit the list criteria.

Biography

Innocent was born on March 27, 1986, in Haiti. Originally a political activist, he still maintains ties to grassroots political movements in Haiti. In a 2024 interview with

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, he described himself as a former small business owner and stated that his "dream is to get rid of the oligarchs who prevent

aiti Aiti (in Corsican ''Àiti'', pronounced �aː.i.di is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. Geography Aiti is some 15 km north of Corte and about 25 km inland from the east coast of Corsica. ...

from progressing". Innocent is the leader of the Kraze Baryé gang, which as of May 2024, participated in the '' Viv Ansanm'' alliance of Haitian gangs. The alliance also includes the

Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies The Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies ( French: ''Forces Révolutionnaires de la Famille G9 et Alliés''; Haitian Creole: ''Fòs Revolisyonè G9 an Fanmi e Alye'') is a federation of 12 gangs led by former Haitian police officer ...

and

400 Mawozo The 400 Mawozo is the largest gang in Haiti, mainly based in Ganthier and in the Port-au-Prince suburbs of Tabarre and Pétion-Ville. It largely consists of deportees, former leaders of opposition groups, former smugglers and police officers. I ...

. Since at least July 2021, Innocent has had an agreement with Joly "Yonyon" Germine, senior leader of the

gang, to work cooperatively in the

Croix-des-Bouquets Croix-des-Bouquets (, ; or ) is a commune in the Ouest department of Haiti. It is located to the northeast of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. Originally located on the shore, it was relocated inland after the 1770 Port-au-Prince ea ...

area. On October 24, 2023, Innocent was charged with ordering the October 2022 kidnapping of an American couple which left the woman, Marie Odette Franklin, dead. In January 2023, he killed four police officers in

Pétion-Ville Pétion-Ville (; ) is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate from the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. Founded in 1831 by president Jean-Pierre Boyer, it was named after Alexa ...

. He is accused of the 2021 Haitian missionary kidnappings. On November 15, 2023, Innocent was added to the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, replacing

Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez (born January 16, 1978) is a Mexican drug cartel boss and former fugitive who was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on October 13, 2020. He was wanted for orchestrating the murder of Juan Jesús Gue ...

, a cartel lord wanted for orchestrating the murder of a Texas lawyer. Innocent was the 532nd fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. In a 2024 interview, he expressed willingness to defend himself in a US court. On December 8, both the United States and the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

placed Innocent on their respective

economic sanctions Economic sanctions or embargoes are Commerce, commercial and Finance, financial penalties applied by states or institutions against states, groups, or individuals. Economic sanctions are a form of Coercion (international relations), coercion tha ...

lists. On January 20, 2024, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

also placed sanctions on Innocent. On July 1, 2025, Innocent was removed from the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list after it was determined that he no longer fit the list criteria. He was replaced by Cindy Rodriguez Singh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Innocent, VitelHomme 1986 births Crime bosses FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives Haitian criminals Living people Fugitives Fugitives wanted by the United States People charged with kidnapping People charged with murder