A La Canada Flintridge man has been convicted by a jury for conspiring with his employee to hire a hitman for the purpose of killing two individuals. One of the targets was an opponent in a legal dispute, while the other represented one of his companies in a bankruptcy case. This verdict was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Arthur Raffy Aslanian, who is 54 years old, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy and use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, as well as one count of arson-related charges. In addition to these charges, he was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson, attempted arson, and arson of a building used in interstate commerce.
During the five-day trial, the presented evidence revealed that Aslanian conspired with his employee, Sesar Rivera, aged 41 and from North Hollywood, to hire a professional killer. The targets were identified in court documents as “M.Y.” and “S.E.”
Rivera was arrested on September 7, 2022, and later agreed to cooperate with authorities. He pleaded guilty on March 27 to conspiracy and the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. He faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison for each count at his sentencing hearing scheduled for September 25.
Aslanian was arrested shortly after a meeting on September 15, 2022, during which Rivera showed him a staged murder photograph of S.E., according to authorities.
M.Y., who was a lawyer representing Aslanian in a bankruptcy proceeding, had been owed more than $261,000 in legal fees and expenses by Aslanian’s company. Despite prevailing in the case, Aslanian allegedly refused to pay. In April 2022, M.Y. sent a demand letter to Aslanian suggesting mediation to resolve the dispute, with a lawsuit as a potential next step.
S.E., on the other hand, had defeated Aslanian in court when he attempted to take possession of a Brentwood home where S.E.’s parents resided, according to law enforcement officials.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
– In April 2022, while working for Aslanian, Rivera met with an individual identified as a gang member and convicted felon. Rivera informed the individual that “Arthur,” a real estate businessman, wanted to hire him to kill M.Y. and S.E.
– In July 2022, Rivera met with the individual again, stating that “Arthur” wanted the murders to be carried out as soon as possible. Rivera provided information about M.Y., and the individual secretly recorded a portion of their in-person meeting, sharing it with law enforcement.
– Rivera also promised the individual that Aslanian would pay $20,000 for the murders once photographic proof was provided.
– On August 10, 2022, River again met with the individual and instructed him to focus on killing S.E. before targeting M.Y.
– On August 19, 2022, Rivera used Facebook Messenger to send the individual a screenshot of S.E.’s Facebook profile, including his picture and business name, to assist in locating and killing S.E.
Law enforcement officials intervened and alerted M.Y. and S.E. about the murder plots.
In a separate incident, Aslanian, through Rivera, paid an individual a small sum of money to set fire to a vacant unit at one of his rental properties in North Hollywood. The intention was to force the remaining tenants to leave, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal has scheduled a sentencing hearing for October 2. Aslanian potentially faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each murder-for-hire-related count and up to 20 years for each arson-related count, with a mandatory minimum of five years for each arson count. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Butler, Kevin Reidy, and Eli Alcaraz.
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