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Baltimore Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Murder-for-Hire Plot
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Stepfen Gerard Gaither, age 30, of Randallstown, Maryland, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for a murder-for-hire conspiracy and for interstate communications with intent to extort, in connection to the extortion and planned murder of a Baltimore County restaurant owner and his partner over a debt, as well as to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and heroin.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, Gaither was hired by codefendant Clement Robert Mercaldo, Jr. to send messages threatening victims and their families in order to extort money. As part of the plan to extort, Mercaldo paid Gaither to vandalize a victim’s car and set fire to a victim’s house. Later, Mercaldo agreed to pay Gaither to murder a victim. Gaither also possessed with the intent to distribute 723 pills containing fentanyl and heroin that were marked as Oxycontin.
“Stepfen Gaither terrorized several victims, including sending threatening messages, setting one victim’s house on fire while they were at home, and plotting the murder of a restaurant owner,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “I commend the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department whose investigative work stopped Gaither and his co-conspirator before they succeeded in their murder-for-hire. This sentence sends a strong message that threats and violence will not be tolerated and will lead to jail time.”
“This case serves as a reminder to those offenders who are a menace in our neighborhoods by committing violent acts, that the FBI continues to protect the public and hold accountable those who have such bold disregard for the law and more importantly human life,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore field office.
Between 2008 and 2017, Mercaldo, a former restaurant owner, loaned over $1 million to the victim. The victim made payments to Mercaldo until 2019, when he was unable to make further payments. As a result, Mercaldo was in significant financial distress and sold his personal belongings in order to continue to pay his expenses.
Beginning in March 2019, Mercaldo hired Gaither to assist in his plot to collect the debt through a variety of extortionate means. Mercaldo gave at least $1,000 in cash to Gaither in exchange for Gaither agreeing to send threatening messages to the victim and destroy the victim’s property, with the intent to pressure the victim to repay Mercaldo.
According to Gaither’s plea agreement, on March 10, 2019, Gaither traveled to the victim’s residence to conduct surveillance, and contacted Mercaldo by cell phone while he was at the residence. Just prior to March 28, 2019, Mercaldo traveled to Florida. On the evening of March 28, 2019, Gaither again traveled to the victim’s residence and used an object smashed the windows of the victim’s car, while the car was in his driveway. Mercaldo returned from Florida on March 29th, when he supplied Gaither with another cash payment. Mercaldo also provided Gaither with the phone number to the victim’s restaurant. Immediately before and after the windows were smashed, Gaither used an anonymous texting application to threaten the victim. The messages referenced a debt and threatened the victim’s wife. In the first few days of April 2019, Gaither also placed calls to the victim in which he took responsibility for smashing the windows and then threatened the victim’s wife.
On April 10, 2019, at Mercaldo’s request, Gaither, using the same number used to contact the victim, sent Mercaldo a message falsely purporting to be from a person threatening to harm the victim and his family unless they paid Mercaldo’s debt.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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