California Duo’s Murder-for-Hire Plot Foiled, Four Sentenced

A South Texas murder-for-hire scheme has been unraveled, with four California residents sentenced to federal prison time for their roles in the deadly plot. The scheme, orchestrated by members of the Mexican Mafia, involved the attempted murder of a local man in Mission, Texas, for a $20,000 payday.

The four defendants, Viola Elizabeth Garcia, 53, of Oxnard, California, her son Christopher Andrade, 33, of Oxnard, California, Noah Solis, 25, of Oxnard, California, and Ronaldo Gallegos, 25, of Oxnard, California, have been sentenced to prison time for their involvement in the murder-for-hire plot. Garcia and Andrade were each ordered to serve 120 months in federal prison, while Gallegos also received a 120-month sentence. Diego Morales, 38, who was incarcerated at the time but pleaded guilty prior to trial, received a 60-month sentence.

The plot began in 2018, when Morales, a member of the Mexican Mafia, recruited others to commit the murder while he was serving a sentence for attempted murder in a California State prison. Andrade, a Colonia Chiques gang member, conspired with Garcia and others to execute the murder in exchange for $20,000. Evidence showed that Mexican Mafia members ordered the murder.

On August 30, 2018, Garcia and her co-conspirators attempted to forcibly enter the victim’s residence near Mission, but the murder attempt was unsuccessful. They then tried to flee the scene, with Garcia leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase until she crashed the vehicle.

At Andrade’s trial, the jury heard testimony regarding text messages and phone calls he made coordinating the murder attempt. Garcia admitted to traveling to Texas with the co-conspirators in July and August 2018, while they were in possession of firearms. She also admitted to being present and witnessing gunshots fired in the July 2018 murder attempt.

However, Garcia attempted to convince the jury she was unaware of any agreement or attempt to commit murder, claiming the purpose of the trip was to transport the individuals to visit family members and to look at potential real estate for her daughter. Andrade also claimed he was not the user of the phone and was unaware of any agreement or attempt to commit murder. The jury did not believe either claims and found both guilty as charged.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and police departments in Mission and Oxnard, California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Cahal P. McColgan, and Sarina S. DiPiazza prosecuted the case.

The sentences will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Solis will be sentenced at a later date. The four defendants have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.