Haiti Pays Roger Stone’s Florida Firm US$65,000 a Month in Washington Lobbying Contract
HAITI · POLITICS
Key Facts
- The country. Haiti has 12 million people and no head of state. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has held sole executive authority since 7 February 2026, when the transitional council was dissolved.
- The money. The currency is the gourde, at 130.95 to the US dollar. Remittances and textile assembly carry the country, and the formal economy largely does not function.
- The rule, in plain words. FARA is the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. Anyone acting in the United States on behalf of a foreign government must register with the Justice Department, which then publishes the contract.
- What happened. Registration 7742, received on 16 September 2026, commits Haiti’s foreign ministry to pay Drake Ventures, LLC of Fort Lauderdale US$65,000 a month. Payment comes in quarterly instalments of US$195,000.
- Why it is contentious. Drake Ventures belongs to Roger Stone, a Republican operative convicted on seven counts in November 2019, whose sentence Donald Trump commuted in 2020 before pardoning him. The filing names no policy, agency or lawmaker.
- What it means for you. Haiti would pay up to US$780,000 over a year while basic services fail at home. The opposition lawyer André Michel called it a waste of public funds. Paid advocacy buys meetings, not outcomes.
- The catch. Neither the foreign ministry nor the prime minister has explained the decision, and no budget line for it has been published. The next clear test is the Security Council vote on the anti-gang force, due by 30 September 2026.
A government with no elected leaders is buying access in Washington, and the paperwork says little about what it wants.
A Haiti lobbying contract worth up to US$780,000 was filed with the US Justice Department on 16 September 2026. It commits Haiti’s foreign ministry to pay Drake Ventures, LLC, the Florida firm of Roger Stone.
What the filing says
The Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA, requires people who act in the United States for a foreign government to register. The Justice Department then publishes the paperwork, including the contract.
The registration for Drake Ventures, LLC was received by the FARA unit on 16 September 2026. It carries registration number 7742 and a Fort Lauderdale, Florida address.
The foreign principal is named as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Haiti, at 15 Rue Mangones in Pétion-Ville. Roger Stone, Jr. signed the registration himself.
The official the firm deals with is listed as Raina Forbin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship. She took office on 4 March 2026.
The attached client services agreement is dated 2 September 2026 and signed by Forbin. Stone signed for the firm as an authorized member.
What the Haiti lobbying contract is worth
Haiti agrees to pay a monthly retainer of US$65,000. Payment comes in quarterly installments of US$195,000, with the first due when the agreement was executed.
Over twelve months that comes to US$780,000. The term runs to 2 September 2027.
The agreement then extends for further one-year periods. Either side must give 30 days’ written notice before the end of a term to stop it.
Florida law governs the deal, and Broward County courts are the agreed place for disputes. The filing records no payment received so far.
The registration form gives the contract date as 11 September 2026. The agreement attached to it is dated 2 September 2026.
What the firm is being paid to do
The registration form answers the question about scope three times with the same line. It says only “issue advocacy on behalf of the foreign principal to the US Government”.
It also answers yes when asked whether the work will include political activities. It names no policy, agency or member of Congress.
The contract itself is a little broader. The firm is to advise Haiti and advocate for it on issues the client considers necessary before the US government.
It must also keep Haiti informed of federal policy developments relevant to its interests. That is the whole of the stated work.
Roger Stone’s record
Stone is a veteran Republican operative and a longtime associate of President Donald Trump. The Miami Herald reports that he owns Drake Ventures with his wife, Nydia.
A federal jury convicted him on 15 November 2019 on seven counts. They covered obstruction of a congressional investigation, five false statements to Congress and witness tampering.
He was sentenced to 40 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a US$20,000 fine. Trump commuted the sentence on 10 July 2020 and pardoned him on 23 December 2020.
Haiti joins a growing list of foreign clients. Reporting says Stone has worked for the Bahamas, Nigeria and Myanmar through another firm, and this year for a Mexican state.
Why Haiti is buying help in Washington
Haiti has had no elected president since Jovenel Moïse was killed in July 2021. The Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate ended on 7 February 2026.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has since been the country’s sole executive authority. A first round of voting is scheduled for 13 December 2026.
The United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force is far below strength. It had 1,083 military personnel in July against an authorized ceiling of 5,550.
Its mandate expires on 30 September 2026. Forbin asked the Security Council on 4 September to renew it, saying Haiti must move “from solidarity to action”.
More than 300,000 Haitians in the United States also lost the shield of Temporary Protected Status this year. A court lifted the block on that termination on 5 August 2026.
What it means for expats and investors
For people living in or invested in the Caribbean, the question is where scarce public money goes. Haiti is buying access in Washington while basic services fail at home.
The contract has already drawn criticism in Haiti. The lawyer and opposition figure André Michel called it “an absolute scandal” and “a waste of public funds”.
Haiti is not new to this. It also pays Continental Strategy, the firm of former US ambassador Carlos Trujillo, which registered to represent the country in February 2025.
Paid advocacy does not change US law or policy on its own. It buys meetings and attention, not outcomes.
What is still not known
Haiti’s foreign ministry has issued no public statement on the deal. Neither Forbin nor Fils-Aimé has explained the decision in public.
The paperwork does not say what Haiti wants. Election support, security funding and immigration relief are all plausible, and none is named.
It is also unclear whether the wider government approved the spending. No budget line for it has been published.
The next clear test is the Security Council vote on the anti-gang force, due by 30 September 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Haiti paying Roger Stone’s firm?
US$65,000 a month, billed in quarterly installments of US$195,000. A full twelve-month term would come to US$780,000.
What is FARA?
The Foreign Agents Registration Act. It requires people acting in the United States for a foreign government to register with the Justice Department and file their contracts.
Has Haiti’s government commented?
No public statement has been issued. The filing names Foreign Minister Raina Forbin as the official who signed the agreement for Haiti.
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Sources: US Justice Department FARA registration 7742 (Drake Ventures, LLC), received 16 September 2026; UN Security Council Report and BINUH; Al Jazeera; Miami Herald; The Haitian Times; Le Nouvelliste.
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