Massachusetts Attorney Gets 10 Years for Murder-for-Hire Plot

A California federal court has handed down a 10-year prison sentence to Allen Gessen, a 49-year-old Massachusetts attorney, for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot against his former partner.

Gessen was convicted by a jury of one count of murder for hire, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1958, after a one-week trial. The case was the result of an investigation by the FBI and was prosecuted by the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to court documents, Gessen met with an undercover FBI agent on two occasions, first in Boca Raton, Florida, and then again in New York City. During these meetings, Gessen discussed his plans to commit murder as a way to eliminate his former partner, citing it as a ‘cheaper way to get rid of her’ and a more permanent solution.

Gessen’s plan was to pay the undercover agent to carry out the murder, and he wired a total of $23,000 to an FBI undercover bank account in San Francisco to facilitate the plot. He also provided the agent with a target package containing details about his former partner’s whereabouts, schedule, and lifestyle habits.

Gessen’s motives for the murder-for-hire plot were rooted in a years-long dispute with his former partner, which had resulted in contentious child custody proceedings. The evidence presented at trial established that Gessen’s objectives quickly transformed from bribing an immigration official to deport his former partner to hiring someone to murder her.

U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentence, which includes 120 months of prison time and three years of supervised release to begin after the prison term. The case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot and the importance of ensuring justice is served for victims of such heinous crimes.