Fergie's Tech Blog

Bank Fraud Suspect Accused of Hiring Hitman to Kill Hitman

Olsen Enbright writes on NBCLosAngeles.com:

In what seems like something out of a Jason Bourne movie, a Sherman Oaks man is accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill another hitman after a feds busted up a bank fraud scheme.

Or as Dennis Romero of LA Weekly put it, "This guy has dug a deeper hole for himself than Tiger Woods."

Pavel Valkovich, 28, has pleaded guilty this week to solicitation of murder and one count of bank fraud. He faces 50 years in jail at his upcoming sentencing in February.

It all started in 2008 when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began investigating Valkovich's association with a scheme involving fraudulent money transfers from PayPal accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Last year, authorities were able to close in on Valkovich thanks to the help of an informant. During the execution of a search warrant, Valkovich tried to escape by leaping from the roof of his apartment building onto another building, said prosecutors.

Authorities were able to take Valkovich into custody. That's when the alleged hitman-on-hitman cycle began at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.

posted by Fergie @ 12/12/2009 10:43:00 AM