NJ political consultant pleads guilty in murder-for-hire plot
A New Jersey political consultant on Tuesday pleaded guilty to hiring two men to kill a former colleague.
Sean Caddle arranged a plot that resulted in the intentional murder of a person who had worked for him on multiple political campaigns.
Caddle, during a videoconference with U.S. District Judge John Michael Vasquez, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
"This was a callous and violent crime, and this defendant is as responsible as the two men who wielded the knife," said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
"There is no more serious crime than the taking of another person's life," Sellinger added. "The defendant has admitted arranging and paying for a murder by two other people. His admission of guilt means he will now pay for his crime."
In April 2014, Caddle sought out a conspirator to murder his target. The first conspirator worked with a second accomplice to carry out the murder.
The next month, both conspirators stabbed the target to death and set fire to his apartment. Caddle paid the murderers thousands of dollars in exchange.
"Today's guilty plea will bring some sense of closure to the victim's family who have been left to wonder - for nearly eight years - who murdered their loved one," said Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr.
Crouch and his special agents conducted the investigation that led to the eventual guilty plea. Caddle faces potential life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine as a maximum sentence.
"This should serve as a warning to criminals and potential criminals, alike," Crouch said. "While you are going about your life, thinking you 'got away with it,' the FBI is piecing together the facts that will serve as your undoing."
