RIVERSIDE, CA – A wealthy San Gabriel Valley man, Arthur Raffy Aslanian, 55, of La Cañada Flintridge, will spend the next two decades in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of orchestrating murder-for-hire plots and deliberately setting fire to a North Hollywood apartment building. U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal handed down the 240-month sentence today, along with a $200,000 fine and $15,371 in restitution.
The case, built by the ATF and federal prosecutors, revealed Aslanian’s chilling attempts to eliminate two men: “M.Y.”, a lawyer who’d successfully represented him in bankruptcy but hadn’t received full payment of $261,000 in fees, and “S.E.”, who’d won a legal battle preventing Aslanian from seizing a home owned by S.E.’s parents. Aslanian’s rage over these legal defeats fueled a dangerous plot that nearly claimed lives.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing Aslanian conspired with Sesar Rivera, 41, of North Hollywood, to find a hitman. Rivera, acting as Aslanian’s middleman, approached a convicted felon and gang member in April 2022, offering a $20,000 bounty for the murders of both M.Y. and S.E. Rivera provided the hitman with identifying information, including a screenshot of S.E.’s Facebook profile, and promised photographic proof of completion. Crucially, the would-be hitman was working with law enforcement, secretly recording conversations with Rivera.
The feds intervened, warning both potential victims of the threat. Rivera, facing mounting pressure, eventually cooperated with investigators. Aslanian’s downfall came after a September 15, 2022 meeting where Rivera showed him a fabricated photo suggesting S.E. had been killed. This staged “proof” sealed Aslanian’s fate. Simultaneously, Aslanian was attempting to strong-arm low-income tenants out of a North Hollywood apartment building he owned by arson. He conspired to have the building burned, hoping to force residents to flee.
“This defendant thought he could get away with murder by financing a murder plot against two of his rivals,” stated U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “He will now serve a well-deserved lengthy prison sentence.” Christopher Bombardiere, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Los Angeles Field Division, added, “ATF saved the lives of two individuals in this case. We will continue to work tirelessly to seek out and build cases against these violent criminals who have no moral compass and instead are driven by greed.”
Aslanian was found guilty of one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, one count of conspiracy to commit arson, one count of attempted arson, and one count of arson of a building used in interstate commerce. The 20-year sentence sends a clear message: attempting to circumvent the justice system with violence and intimidation will be met with the full force of the law.
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