Photo: Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A federal grand jury Thursday charged a La CaĂąada Flintridge man who allegedly conspired with a San Fernando Valley resident to hire a hit man to kill two men involved in litigation against him.
Arthur Raffy Aslanian, 53, is charged in a three-count federal indictment with one count of conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Also facing the same charge in the indictment is Sesar Rivera, 40, of North Hollywood, Aslanian's employee and alleged co-conspirator, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
If convicted of all charges, each defendant would face up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.
Both defendants were arrested earlier this month on a federal criminal complaint alleging the murder-for-hire plot. The indictment adds an additional charge to each defendant, charging Aslanian and Rivera each with one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for- hire.
Aslanian was ordered jailed without bond after his arrest on Sept. 15. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 6 in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Rivera made his initial court appearance on Sept. 19 and is free on $20,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 25.
According to the indictment, Rivera met with an individual in April and said that a real estate businessman named Arthur wanted to pay this person to kill two people -- identified in the indictment as S.E. and M.Y. -- who were involved in litigation against him.
M.Y. was a lawyer who represented Aslanian in a bankruptcy proceeding in which Aslanian had prevailed but then refused to pay $220,000 in legal fees and expenses to M.Y.'s law firm, according to court documents.
Earlier this year, M.Y.'s law firm filed paperwork to mediate the dispute and prepared to sue Aslanian if the mediation failed.
S.E. had defeated Aslanian in court, after Aslanian tried to take possession of the Brentwood home in which S.E.'s parents lived, court documents state. In July, Rivera again allegedly met with the individual and said Arthur wanted the killing done as soon as possible. Rivera showed the individual information about M.Y., according to federal prosecutors.
The individual secretly recorded a portion of this July in-person meeting on his phone and provided a copy of the recording to law enforcement, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint in this case.
Rivera also promised the individual that Aslanian would pay $20,000 for the murder once Rivera had photographic proof that the murder had been committed, court papers allege.
Law enforcement contacted and warned M.Y. and S.E. of the murder plots against them, court papers state. On Sept. 7, Rivera was detained and questioned, and later agreed to cooperate, according to court documents.
Aslanian was arrested shortly after a Sept. 15 meeting in which Rivera showed him a staged murder photograph of S.E., prosecutors said.