LawFuel – MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York, announced that MARIO RAMIRO ARAGON
was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for arranging a murder
for hire of his brother-in-law.
The sentence was imposed by United States District
Judge COLLEEN MCMAHON in White Plains federal court. ARAGON
pleaded guilty on December 12, 2007, to paying an undercover
officer, posing as the would-be murderer for hire, to murder his
brother-in-law.
In sentencing ARAGON, Judge MCMAHON stated: “The crime
of murder for hire is a particularly heinous crime.” She said
that this was only the second case of its kind in her 13 years on
the bench but she noted that ARAGON had “a cavalier attitude
toward taking another person’s life.”
According to the criminal Complaint, ARAGON gave the
undercover officer $200 as an advance payment for the murder.
The remaining $300 was to be paid after the murder was committed.
ARAGON gave the undercover officer a physical description of the
intended victim, and agreed to meet with the undercover officer
the following day to show him the house where the intended victim
lived.
The following day, ARAGON and the undercover officer
met again in New City, Rockland County. ARAGON confirmed to the
undercover officer that he wanted the intended victim killed,
showed the undercover officer the house where the intended victim
lived, and identified the intended victim in a photograph.
ARAGON was arrested shortly thereafter.
Mr. GARCIA praised the outstanding efforts of the Drug
Enforcement Administration and the Spring Valley Police
Department in the investigation of this case.
Assistant United States Attorneys NOLA B. HELLER and
ANNA M. SKOTKO are in charge of the prosecution.
08-194 ###
