A North Hollywood landlord convicted of hiring a hitman to kill two opponents, then hiring an arsonist to torch his personal house constructing, has been sentenced to twenty years in jail.
Arthur Raffy Aslanian, 55, of La Cañada Flintridge repeatedly resorted to violence to settle enterprise disputes and keep away from paying money owed, federal prosecutors argued throughout his five-day trial final July. A jury discovered him responsible on two counts of conspiracy and three fees associated to homicide for rent and arson, and on Monday a federal choose handed down the 20-year sentence.
In keeping with prosecutors, Aslanian employed a gang member in April 2022 to kill two folks: his former chapter legal professional, whom he owed greater than $261,000 in authorized charges, and a person who had efficiently sued Aslanian.
“This defendant thought he may get away with homicide by financing a homicide plot in opposition to two of his rivals,” mentioned United States Atty. Martin Estrada. “This case ought to function a cautionary story to those that would resort to violence to settle their disputes: You’ll be caught and the results might be extreme.”
In keeping with prosecutors, Aslanian conspired with a former worker, Sesar Rivera, to place him in contact with a gang member with a legal file to behave as a hitman.
The gang member met with Rivera and was supplied $20,000 for the roles. As an alternative of going forward with the killings, nevertheless, the gang member recorded the July 2022 assembly and gave the recording to regulation enforcement.
Along with his former chapter legal professional, Aslanian wished the gang member to kill a person recognized solely as “S.E.” who had efficiently sued after Aslanian tried to take possession of the house the place S.E.’s mother and father lived.
The plots prompted an elaborate operation orchestrated by brokers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to idiot Aslanian into considering the killings occurred, prosecutors mentioned. Rivera and the convicted gang member labored with regulation enforcement on a ruse that included staging {a photograph} to make Aslanian assume his enterprise opponent had been shot and killed.
“ATF saved the lives of two people on this case,” mentioned Christopher Bombardiere, particular agent in control of the ATF’s Los Angeles Area Division.
In an unrelated plot, federal prosecutors additionally accused Aslanian of utilizing the identical former worker to pay somebody to set hearth to certainly one of his rental properties in North Hollywood.
Low-income tenants of the constructing had been in a long-running dispute with Aslanian, who wished the residents to depart the property.
The tenants accused Aslanian of being a slumlord, harrassing and threatening them in his makes an attempt to empty the residences.
In keeping with courtroom filings, Aslanian promised to pay somebody $2,000 to set hearth to the constructing.
There have been two arson makes an attempt on the property, officers mentioned, in February and March of 2022.
Rivera pleaded responsible in March 2023 to 1 depend of conspiracy and one depend of use of interstate commerce services for the fee of a murder-for-hire plot. Dealing with as much as 10 years in federal jail for every depend, he’s anticipated to look in courtroom July 8 for a sentencing listening to.
“We are going to proceed to work tirelessly to hunt out and construct circumstances in opposition to these violent criminals who don’t have any ethical compass and as an alternative are pushed by greed,” Bombardiere mentioned in an announcement.
