He offered $25,000 to ‘whack’ a U.S. Attorney. Now he will serve 30 years.

A man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempting to hire a hitman to kill the U.S. attorney who was prosecuting him on federal drug charges, federal authorities said.

Edgar Villa-Castaneda, 43, a Mexican national who was living in Lexington in 2015, was sentenced on Friday after being found guilty of the charges in October.

“The full power of the United States will be brought against those who place our prosecutors and federal officers at risk,” stated United States Attorney Russell Coleman. “Today's thirty year sentence should give pause to those who are considering threatening those who protect our commonwealth.”

The story started in February, 2015, According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. Villa-Castaneda was jailed at the Woodford County Detention Center, pending federal drug charges filed against him by assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Duncan, who worked out the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District.

In September, another inmate called his lawyer to tell him that Villa-Castaneda, using the nickname, “Flaco,” was trying to hire someone for $25,000 to kill Duncan, who is now the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, under appointment by President Donald Trump.

“Villa-Castaneda believed that he and his incarcerated son were being unfairly targeted and erroneously being portrayed as major drug dealers by Duncan,” the press release says. “Sometime over the next twenty-four hours, Villa-Castaneda asked the inmate if he knew anyone that could “whack” Duncan for him. Villa-Castaneda said he would pay $25,000 to have it done. Villa-Castaneda stated he currently had $15,000 hidden in radio speakers at his sister's house and he would pay an additional $10,000 after the job was done.”

On Nov. 24, 2015, Villa-Castaneda was questioned by FBI special agents. Federal authorities said he signed “a form stating he understood his rights and understood he was waiving those rights before admitting to making the threats and soliciting an inmate to assist in the murder of Duncan.”

Duncan recused himself from the case, so it was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Kentucky.

U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves handed down the 30-year sentence.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 10:04 AM with the headline "He offered $25,000 to ‘whack’ a U.S. Attorney. Now he will serve 30 years.."