Danton Enters Plea of Guilty

Mike Danton, a fourth-line center with a tough-guy reputation as a member of the St. Louis Blues, admitted Friday to being at the center of a plot to murder his agent.

Danton pleaded guilty to a federal murder-for-hire conspiracy charge. He faces seven to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines when he is sentenced Oct. 22.

Danton, 23, and his alleged accomplice, Katie Wolfmeyer, 19, were indicted by a federal grand jury in April after a would-be hit man went to police and revealed their alleged plot. Danton and Wolfmeyer, a college student from a St. Louis suburb, were scheduled to go to trial in September. Wolfmeyer has pleaded not guilty to murder-for-hire charges and is free on bond.

During an hourlong hearing Friday at federal court in East St. Louis, Ill., Danton said the murder was supposed to take place April 15 at his apartment in suburban St. Louis. Danton’s agent, David Frost, repeatedly has denied being the target of Danton’s plot, although prosecutors identified him as such in court. Danton’s admission did not identify Frost as the target, but it noted that Frost was the apartment’s only occupant at the time.

Frost, 37, has been part of Danton’s life since the player was 11. A former youth hockey coach who once pleaded guilty to punching one of his players, Frost said he argued with Danton in April about the player’s erratic behavior and use of painkillers. Fearing Frost would talk to Blues’ officials and hurt his career, Danton tried to arrange Frost’s murder, investigators said.

The would-be hit man was identified in court Friday as Justin Jones, a Columbia, Ill., police dispatcher. Danton offered to pay Jones $10,000 to commit a murder in what would look like a bungled robbery attempt, prosecutors said.

Danton, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, hung his head at times as U.S. District Judge William Stiehl outlined the case against him. He spoke calmly and clearly as he answered the judge’s questions with a “yes” or “no” before pleading guilty.

Danton was scheduled to appear in court Monday in connection with motions in the case, but he and his lawyers came to court Friday with the final plea agreement.

His attorney, Robert Haar, said Danton wanted to “put all this behind him.”

“This was about saving as much of a young man’s life as we could,” Haar said.

Danton has been in custody since his arrest a few hours after the Blues were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL playoffs. He is seeking transfer to a prison in Canada, and prosecutors and the FBI said they wouldn’t oppose the move, but Stiehl noted that Danton might not be allowed to return to the U.S. The prison time and possible restrictions probably will end Danton’s career. He is no longer under contract with the Blues.

The Blues released a brief statement that read: “The plea speaks for itself. We truly wish Michael the best.”

An announcement on an answering machine at Frost’s office Friday said Frost would not comment on the plea until after Danton’s sentencing.

Frost and Danton continued to communicate while Danton was in jail and had 79 phone conversations totaling about 1,000 minutes until a judge ended their communication. In May, Frost helped organize a statement read by Danton from his jail cell. In the statement, Danton accused his family of neglect and abuse, and thanked Frost.

Danton’s friends and family denied the allegations. Danton’s father, Stephen Jefferson, accused Frost of brainwashing his son and called Frost “a monster.”

Danton legally changed his last name from Jefferson two years ago, taking the surname of another hockey player he had met at a camp.

Danton wasn’t a top-line player for the Blues, but he had seven goals and tied for the team lead in penalty minutes last season.

Danton was originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils and was suspended twice before getting traded to St. Louis before last season.

Frost became a certified NHL agent in 2002. His NHL client list is small and Danton, who made $550,000 last season, is near the top of it.

Wolfmeyer’s lawyers have portrayed her as a naive young woman smitten with Danton and vulnerable to his manipulation. Her lawyers said Friday they were not negotiating with prosecutors for a plea bargain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.