Hawthorne man in murder for hire gets 7 years in federal prison

A Hawthorne man who was convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a man dating the daughter of his cohort was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison after he got caught trying to hire an undercover federal agent.

Antonio Quevedo, 35, had already pleaded guilty to his part, hatched with Adelina Cristobal, to kill the boyfriend of her daughter. Cristobal, 56, of Lawndale, who also pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire, is scheduled to be sentenced by the same judge in Santa Ana Jan. 31

The murder-for-hire scheme was uncovered when an informant tipped off authorities that Quevedo was seeking to hire someone to kill the young man for $5,000.

An undercover investigator posing as the hired “hit man” met with the defendants, who offered the undercover officer $6,500 to kill the intended victim. Cristobal was to pay Quevedo an additional $500 for arranging the meeting with the “hit man.”

“Had the government not been able to infiltrate the conspiracy, [Quevedo] may well have found a willing assassin to murder the victim and successfully collected his broker’s fee,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

According to an affidavit in the case, Cristobal said she wanted the victim killed because he owed her money, he was romantically involved with her daughter and he had threatened her husband, causing him a minor stroke.

Cristobal told the undercover officer that she wanted photographic proof that the killing was done. Cristobal told investigators she indeed intended to target the victim because of his relationship with her daughter, but claimed she meant only to have him beaten up, the affidavit said.

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