Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
News Release
Los Angeles Field Division
Contact: Special Agent Christian Hoffman, PIO
Office: (818) 265-2507
Cell: (213) 216-3622
Two Arrested In Murder-For-Hire Plot
ATF and LAPD Join Forces to Investigate Threat
LOS ANGELES – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today announced the arrests of two people in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a man who was dating the daughter of one of the defendants.
ATF, in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Harbor Division, initiated an investigation after receiving information that the two defendants were attempting to solicit someone to commit a murder on their behalf. According to court documents, an undercover officer posing as the hired hit man
met with the defendants, who offered the undercover officer $6,500 to kill the intended victim. The defendants were arrested Thursday, Jan 24. A federal complaint filed today accusing both defendants of using interstate commerce facilities for murder-for-hire.
The quick work of ATF and LAPD potentially saved the life of the targeted victim to whom they wished to murder,
said Steven J. Bogdalek, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Los Angeles Field Division. Our number one priority is to reduce violent crime; this case exemplifies our commitment to that mission.
The two defendants named in the criminal complaint are:
- Adelina Cristobal, 45, of Lawndale.
- Antonio Quevedo, 34, of Hawthorne.
Both Defendants are scheduled to make their intial court appearances later this afternoon in the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Federal charges are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney Office in the Central District of California. If convicted the defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
More information about ATF and its programs is available at www.atf.gov.
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