In June 2023, during the height of Biden's humanitarian parole program, a story emerged that would expose the deep misogyny embedded in Haitian society. A young man named Peterson Theophin went to Radio Television Caraibes (RTVC), the country's number one or probably number two biggest radio station, and accused a woman he called "Stephanie" of stealing $2,500 USD and his passport, preventing him from leaving the country for the United States.
The story resonated with the public. A trip to the United States is a big deal for people in Haiti, and Peterson's narrative painted him as a victim whose dreams were crushed by a jealous woman. Public figures like Mickael Marabou, Theriel Thelus, and many others showed support for Peterson. People were willing to send donation money and asked how they could help "the poor man." Meanwhile, most people were tearing Ifemie down (the woman they knew as "Stephanie"), spreading this wicked young woman's photo around, cursing her out, and some would beg her to bring the passport back. However, the events unfolded very quickly: Peterson accused "Stephanie" on the radio, they invited her to come to the radio, and she came the next day. Because everything happened so fast, Peterson didn't actually raise any donations before the truth came out.
THE REAL WOMAN BEHIND "STEPHANIE"
The woman Peterson accused was not named "Stephanie Joseph" at all. Her real name is Ifemie Saint-Hilaire. She and Peterson had met on Facebook and had been in contact online, but according to Ifemie, they had never met in person. Peterson used her photo without permission and created an entirely false identity for her to support his fabricated story.
Ifemie was months pregnant during this scandal, with a big belly. She was a terrible public speaker with very weak self-defense methods, while Peterson had the ability to play sweet and innocent, which allowed him to convince people that he was a victim. The country is so full of misogyny that they were quick to tear Ifemie apart, even though she was the real victim. Ifemie went through so much during this ordeal. Her belly looked heavy, she could barely move at speed, and she was sweating due to the hot summer heat in Haiti.
PETERSON'S FABRICATED STORY
Peterson claimed that he had a flight the next day and that he and "Stephanie" had met at a hotel the night before. He said she stole his money and passport so he couldn't leave the country, and that she had fled to the Dominican Republic with his money and passport to stop him from leaving. He claimed he got stuck because of her actions.
When asked for receipts for the money transfers he claimed to have sent to "Stephanie Joseph," Peterson said he didn't have them. He claimed he had the contact of the hotel owner and could call him, but this was just another ridiculous claim. When asked for documents, he claimed he had all his documents in a yellow envelope, including his wallet inside the envelope.
THE RADIO CONFRONTATION
Both Peterson and Ifemie were called to Radio Television Caraibes (RTVC) to speak. This was the day Ifemie was finally able to speak to the public after getting shredded with online hate. Ifemie's mother came with her to accompany the pregnant young lady. One of the hosts who was not in the radio called in and really persisted the other hosts to make Peterson show the travel authorization.
Peterson's behavior during the radio was telling. While he acted sweet and knew how to manipulate, he was also a terrible liar. His body language gave him away, and he couldn't even look at Ifemie in the eyes during the radio.
THE EVIDENCE THAT DEBUNKED PETERSON'S STORY
Investigators checked Peterson's emails and found only an email from last year in his name. There were no records of USCIS emails. They called "Family Hotel" where Peterson claimed he and Ifemie were. The hotel confirmed the confirmation number for the booking, but the critical findings were devastating to Peterson's story:
- Peterson didn't even book the hotel under his name
- Peterson claimed all his documents were missing
- The person who dropped him off booked the room with his information
- Peterson did sleep at the hotel that night, but he didn't have anyone with him in the room that night
- Peterson had no visitor
- Peterson had a video from his phone where he filmed inside of the hotel, but there was no one in the video, proving he was alone
On the day Peterson (also referred to as Johnny) claimed the girl slept with him at the hotel, Ifemie was in a whole different city, miles away. In fact, on the morning that Peterson claimed they had slept together the night before, Ifemie went to the hospital miles away from where Peterson claimed to be.
They called a JetBlue agent on speaker during the radio. Peterson claimed he had a flight at 8:45 AM, but the agent said there were no flights at that time. The earliest flight for that day was at 10:45 AM (Port-au-Prince to New York). They checked using his birthday and name and found no flight under his name. One of the co-hosts even suggested maybe Peterson was just saying that the flight was 8:45 AM because people usually go to the airport 2 hours before their flights, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, this explanation didn't hold up since there was no flight under his name at all.
Peterson wasn't able to tell them anything. He wasn't able to show any screenshot, any document, or any proof. His entire story was falling apart in real-time.
DCPJ INTERVENTION AND PETERSON'S ADMISSION
The Department of Justice in Haiti (DCPJ) came and escorted both Ifemie and Peterson out of the radio to safely escort them. There were so many people waiting and rioting outside waiting for an answer. After DCPJ questioned both Peterson and Ifemie, they found Peterson guilty of lying.
Peterson finally admitted on camera that he was lying and created the whole story. He tried to blame it on Ifemie and said that he only did it because Ifemie was pregnant and he was jealous and disappointed. But his disturbing response after admission showed a complete lack of remorse and accountability. He told the public not to follow their emotions. He claimed that what happened to the young lady (Ifemie) even though she was a victim, but now he himself is a victim. He said he hoped that they could move on and that what just happened doesn't mean they have a problem.
While Peterson was arrested, none of us know what happened to him afterward. There were rumors that he was released, but nothing has been confirmed. People protested for his release, downplaying his actions as mental illness or desperation. Haitian red pill podcasters actively campaigned for his release. Given how easily we become distracted and how difficult it is to find information about the case, and considering the public pressure to release him, he may have been released. As of today, there is no clear information about what happened to Peterson, and there has been no further coverage of the case. The story faded from public attention.
THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCE
The timeline makes this tragedy even more devastating. On June 29, Ifemie went to the hospital and the baby was fine. On June 30, we all saw her pregnant with a big belly during the radio interview with Peterson. Yet within 3-4 days after that face-to-face confrontation, Ifemie lost the baby. The news broke on July 4, 2023, just 4 days after she was in the radio with a big belly. She allegedly lost the baby from the stress or shock of the false accusations, the online hate, and the public shaming.
THE MISOGYNISTIC RESPONSE
Even after Peterson admitted he lied with his own embarrassing face and mouth, many people still blamed Ifemie. They said she deserved it for wasting time talking to this man on Facebook while being pregnant for another man. Many people still tried to blame Ifemie for Peterson's actions. Some downplayed Peterson's actions as mental illness, claiming he needs help, he doesn't understand what he's doing and is innocent. People tried to downplay the situation and claimed that Peterson doesn't deserve to get arrested. They claimed he is not a gang and asked why aren't the police arresting the gangs instead of Peterson.
A Haitian red pill podcaster made it his mission to help Peterson even after he was found guilty by the police department and after Peterson was arrested. The podcaster was trying to help Peterson financially by giving him money and even wanted to sponsor him in the humanitarian parole program. He claimed that Peterson only did that because he wanted help, because he is poor and was desperate for help.
Even after Peterson was found guilty and admitted he lied, the public continued to attack Ifemie. People made memes out of her communication skills and mocked her for mispronouncing words. Instead of recognizing that she was a victim who had been through a traumatic experience, the public chose to ridicule her speaking abilities, further adding to her humiliation and suffering.
NO ONE CARED ABOUT IFEMIE
At the end of the day, no one cared about Ifemie. People sympathized more with Peterson simply because he's a young man. They saw him as innocent. Even after Peterson was found guilty and admitted he lied, many people still chose to support him. Those who didn't support him just let it go.
One of Ifemie's few supporters was podcaster "Lynn" who has a podcast called "Ti koze ak Lynn." She was one of the few people who stood up for Ifemie toe-to-toe, called out the misogyny of the Haitian community, and wanted to see justice for her.
A PATTERN OF FALSE NARRATIVES
This story is similar to other cases where someone creates false narratives and uses someone else's identity or image for personal gain or attention. Peterson wanted attention and a "comeup," and he was willing to destroy an innocent woman's reputation to get it. He used Ifemie's photo without permission, created a fake name for her, and fabricated an entire story that led to her losing her baby and being publicly shamed.
The misogyny in Haitian society is so deep that even when a man admits to lying and creating false accusations against a pregnant woman, many people still find ways to blame the woman or downplay the man's actions. A woman would never be able to get away with what Peterson did in Haitian society. If a woman had fabricated such a story, she would have been immediately condemned, shamed, and likely faced severe consequences. The double standard is stark and reveals the deep-seated misogyny that protects men while punishing women. This is a systemic problem that needs to be addressed.
Ifemie Saint-Hilaire allegedly lost her baby from the stress or shock of Peterson Theophin's false accusations. Peterson was arrested and admitted to lying, but while we don't know for certain what happened to him, there were rumors that he was released from jail. Given the public protests calling for his release and people downplaying his actions as mental illness or desperation, along with Haitian red pill podcasters actively campaigning for his release, it is possible he was released. The story faded from public attention, and justice was never truly served. Ifemie went through all of that, the false accusations, the public shaming, the loss of her baby, for what? This is a reminder of how misogyny can destroy lives while protecting those who commit harm.
At the end of the day, Peterson is a monster. He fabricated a story that destroyed an innocent woman's life, led to the loss of her unborn child, and showed no remorse for his actions. The fact that he was able to manipulate so many people and that many still defended him even after he admitted to lying speaks volumes about the deep misogyny that exists in Haitian society.
