Springfield, Ohio, sues neo-Nazis over hate campaign against Haitians
The city of Springfield, Ohio, local officials and residents are suing a neo-Nazi group for allegedly leading an intimidation campaign against people who defended the area’s Haitian community from racist attacks last year, according to court documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, accuses the white-supremacist organization Blood Tribe, its leaders Christopher Pohlhaus and Drake Berentz, and seven unnamed men of conspiring to interfere with the civil rights of Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, Assistant Mayor David Estrop, two city commissioners and four residents.
The group is seeking a judicial order to prevent Blood Tribe and its members from making further threats, as well as punitive damages. Assisted by the Anti-Defamation League and attorneys with experience in litigating against white supremacists, the plaintiffs requested a jury trial.
Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 people, rose to national attention in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign as Donald Trump and JD Vanceamplified dehumanizing conspiracy theories about Haitian immigrants. The Republican leaders alleged without evidence that Haitian people ate neighbors’ pets. The lawsuit does not mention Trump or Vance by name.
The complaint does allege that Blood Tribe called on its supporters to launch a “hit” on Springfield in July, writing in messaging apps that the Haitian immigrants were putting a “significant strain on the good White residents of the city,” according to screenshots included in court documents.
A few weeks later, on Aug. 10, Blood Tribe appeared at Springfield’s Jazz & Blues festival. At least a dozen masked men in red-and-black uniforms waved swastika flags, yelled racial slurs and pointed guns at families, according to the lawsuit.
“Blood Tribe members then bragged on social media about the chaos they had caused, warning that the ‘invasion’ of Springfield by Haitian immigrants was a ‘crime’ that would not ‘go unanswered’ and promising ‘we will definitely be back,’” the lawsuit said.
In the aftermath, residents gathered to speak in defense of Haitian immigrants at city commission meetings. That angered Blood Tribe, which labeled them “enemy combatants” and “traitors,” according to the lawsuit. The complaint accuses Blood Tribe of targeting some of these residents and city officials by issuing at least 33 bomb threats, sending hate mail, posting personal information, and creating fake dating profiles soliciting men to show up at victims’ homes seeking drugs and sex.
Blood Tribe did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Post was unable to reach Pohlhaus or Berentz.
Blood Tribe posted a message allegedly from Pohlhaus on the social platform Gab calling the lawsuit’s allegations “laughable and impossible to prove.” The statement also denied the claim that Blood Tribe members pointed firearms at families, saying that the organization would have taken those men “out back and beat them” before removing them as members. The Post has not confirmed the author is Pohlhaus.
In another post on Gab, Blood Tribe blamed Springfield officials for using the group as “an easy scapegoat for their own weakness” and used antisemitic language to refer to the ADL. Blood Tribe said it was “not the cause or source” of Springfield’s problems.
Blood Tribe’s persistent bomb threats targeted hospitals, schools and businesses for several weeks, according to the lawsuit. On Sept. 12, two days after Trump said during a presidential debate that immigrants were eating pets, Springfield evacuated City Hall after it received a bomb threat naming city commissioners Tracey Tackett and Krystal Brown and others, stating, “I will kill you. I know where you live.”
“And even though the bomb threats proved to be false alarms, they were frightening and disruptive and required the City of Springfield to expend extensive resources to assure the safety of the City and its residents,” the lawsuit said.
The threats also included the home addresses of Rue and Estrop, who were left messages that they would “die a traitor’s death,” according to the lawsuit.
Berentz and about a dozen members stood outside Rue’s house on Sept. 28, according to the lawsuit. Inside, Rue had a shotgun loaded and positioned by his front door “in case he needed to protect his family,” the complaint said. On another unspecified date, according to court documents, Blood Tribe returned to Rue’s house with a Haitian man and claimed he “needs a place to stay.”
Residents Taylor Flora, Jessica Shafer, Casey Rollins and Randall Comer were also subjected to death threats and harassment for supporting Haitian immigrants, the lawsuit said. On one occasion, Flora allegedly received a package designed to look like a bomb, with a taunting note that read, “XOXO, Blood Tribe.”
Before the alleged coordinated attacks, Blood Tribe wrote in messages that it had been monitoring Springfield since 2023, when 11-year-old Aiden Clark died in a car crash caused by Hermanio Joseph, a 36-year-old from Haiti. Aiden’s father, Nathan Clark, has since publicly denounced hate and political gain in his son’s name.
The lawsuit alleges Pohlhaus “gleefully took credit” when xenophobic conspiracy theories about the town’s Haitian community reached a national level last year. Pohlhaus wrote on social media that Blood Tribe had “pushed Springfield into the public consciousness,” according to court documents.
“Other Blood Tribe members agreed,” the lawsuit said, “adding that ‘this is what real power looks like.’”
Former Haitian official Badio denies role in Jovenel Moïse assassination, calls police report flawed
Joseph Félix Badio, a key suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, claims the investigation overlooks crucial names …
by Juhakenson Blaise Feb. 12, 2025
THE HAITIAN TIMES
Joseph Félix Badio, a key suspect in the case of the assassination of the former President Jovenel Moïse
Overview:
The investigation into President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination resurfaced this week with a court hearing for key suspect Joseph Félix Badio, who denied involvement and accused police of omitting crucial names.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — During a Court of Appeal hearing on Monday, Feb. 10, Joseph Félix Badio, a key suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, denied any involvement and called the investigation incomplete. He argued that the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) report left out crucial names and lacked scientific rigor. Despite his claims, no new credible evidence has emerged to help the court answer the central question: Who orchestrated this crime?
Standing before judges, prosecutors and a packed courtroom—including 17 Colombian mercenaries also implicated in the crime—Badio, who once worked for Haiti’s Ministry of Justice, insisted he was aware of a coup plot against Moïse but had no role in the murder.
“I had no involvement in the president’s assassination,” Badio said. “Everything said is nonsense, except one fact: the president was assassinated.”
The assassination remains one of Haiti’s most complex criminal cases in recent years, involving multiple countries, notably the United States and Colombia. Despite nearly 50 indictments, no trial has taken place in Haiti, even after more than 40 arrests. Meanwhile, in the U.S., at least five individuals linked to the case have been convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Badio’s hearing comes as the Haitian judiciary faces growing criticism over its handling of the case, with concerns that influential figures remain shielded from scrutiny and accountability.
The hearing marked nearly four years since Moïse was killed at his residence in Pèlerin, Pétion-Ville, on July 7, 2021, in an operation involving Colombian mercenaries and Haitian Americans. The investigation in Haiti remains clouded by political turmoil, worsening gang violence and the fall of two prime ministers, Claude Joseph and Ariel Henry.
Badio questions missing names and security failures
Badio, who was arrested in October 2023 after two years on the run, claimed the DCPJ investigation overlooked critical security lapses. He pointed to the sudden replacement of Pétion-Ville’s police commissioner just two days before the assassination, suggesting it was a deliberate move that warranted further scrutiny.
“Many close to the president should have been questioned,” Badio said. “Why weren’t the agents responsible for his security affected?”
“Certain individuals are being protected to maintain their interests,” Badio claimed. Despite his claims, he provided no new evidence and refused to name who he believed orchestrated the assassination.
The former Haiti Ministry of Justice employee also pointed out that two armored vehicles stationed on Pèlerin Road—where Moïse lived—disappeared the night of the murder. The officers in those vehicles were not named in the DCPJ report, raising suspicions of internal involvement.
Additionally, the indicted Badio acknowledged speaking with ex-Senator John Joël Joseph—another plotter in the case sentenced to life in the U.S. federal prison—who allegedly told him the plan was to remove Moïse from power, not kill him. The plan was to replace Moïse with Christian Emmanuel Sanon, he said.
“The goal was a coup, not an assassination,” Badio said, claiming Moïse himself was aware of the plot.
Badio claimed that documents recovered by the FBI from Moïse’s residence confirmed the president was aware of discussions about a potential coup. He alleged that Senator Jean Hector Anacasis was the one who informed him.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
February 11, 2025
UNODC equips Haiti against organized crime
By UNODC
Haiti is anything but a Caribbean paradise, as violence continues to spiral out of control.
Criminal gangs spread terror across the country with an estimated 150 to 200 armed groups controlling about 85 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In their attempts to expand their territories and seize strategic locations, these groups have targeted critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, police stations and other key facilities.
The population remains trapped in fear, facing frequent shootings, kidnappings and mass looting.
Ongoing violence and instability are further exacerbated by the flow of illicit arms, drug trafficking, and underground markets, all fueled by deep-rooted corruption and money laundering.
Strengthening law enforcement and border security
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the generous support of the Government of Canada, is supporting the Haitian authorities in countering organized crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
To bolster law enforcement efforts, UNODC has delivered twelve patrol vehicles and nineteen motorcycles to the country’s Border Police, a specialized unit of the Haitian National Police (POLIFRONT - Police Frontalière d’Haiti).
The newly supplied vehicles aim to enhance police mobility on the ground, response time and overall efficiency to help law enforcement regain control of critical areas and strengthen border security. They will also provide much-needed protection in hostile environments as officers serve and protect the Haitian people while carrying out their duties.
The delivery is part of a larger response led by the UNODC Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section and the Regional Office for Central America and the Caribbean.
At the request of Canada, additional equipment, including communication radios, personal protective equipment, drones, ballistic vests, shin guards, armored vehicles and computer equipment such as laptops and printers will be provided to further support Haitian security forces as they work to regain control of critical areas and strengthen border security by land, sea, and air. It also contributes to the ongoing fight against corruption and economic crimes.
The delivery of much needed vehicles takes place amidst a complex reality for those providing support in Haiti. Since November 2024 the international airport of Port-au-Prince has been closed and gangs continue to control the national road network limiting the efforts of international and national partners in country.
A worrying rise in human trafficking and migrant smuggling
Beyond attacks on civilians and infrastructure, as well as drug and arms trade, other crimes are currently on the rise. Of particular concern is the surge in human and child trafficking.
Exploiting widespread lawlessness, child malnutrition, inadequate education and lack of parental supervision, gangs recruit minors through deception or coercion.
They often use social media to lure children, reportedly offering payments of up to 200 USD.
According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), child recruitment into armed groups increased by 70 per cent, with an estimated 30 to 50 per cent of gang members in Haiti now being children.
At the same time, political instability, gang violence, food insecurity and economic turmoil are forcing more people to flee Haiti.
Desperate to escape, many are taking greater risks, often turning to migrant smugglers. Haitian nationals are increasingly being smuggled via dangerous sea routes.
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UNODC remains committed to working with Haitian authorities and partners to dismantle the criminal networks and corruption destabilizing the country. The recently delivered patrol vehicles and forthcoming equipment will play a crucial role in strengthening their operational capacity to combat organized crime and protect Haiti’s borders.
*The programme is funded with the generous support of the Government of Canda through its Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programme (ACCBP).