US federal prosecutors have announced criminal charges against Jimmy Cherizier, the Haitian gang leader known as "Barbecue" who leads an alliance of gangs that control much of the capitol of Port-au-Prince, BBC reported.

The indictment alleges that Mr Cherizier, as well as US citizen Bazile Richardson, 48, solicited funds from Haitian diaspora community in the US to help pay gang members and buy firearms in violation of US sanctions. 

Cherizier, a former police officer who is at large in Haiti, leads the group Viv Ansanm (Live Together). The US is offering $5m (£3.7m) for information leading to his arrest. 

The group has been accused of multiple murders, kidnappings and attacks on infrastructure, according to BBC.