Man sentenced in Lexington kidnap, murder-for-hire plot also tied to religious leader
A man who conspired to kidnap and kill another man in a Lexington murder-for-hire case has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison.
The man, known as “John” Sadiqullah, was convicted of conspiring to have another man kidnap and, if necessary, kill, a man who owed Sadiqullah money. Sadiqullah’s actual first name is not known.
On Thursday, Sadiqullah was sentenced to 106 months in prison, according to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Another man who was charged along with Sadiqullah, Abdul Hadi, was acquitted after a joint trial in February.
Attorneys for Sadiqullah and Hadi said during the trial that the two men had driven taxis for a man who ran a business in Lexington, and both had loaned him money. Sadiqullah’s attorney said he had loaned the man about $20,000, and had not been able to get the money back from the man.
Sadiqullah asked former Lexington imam Mahmoud Shalash to help him, according to the U.S. attorney. Shalash put Sadiqullah in contact with a man known as Thomas Smith, who had been involved with Shalash in a money-laundering scheme.
Shalash introduced Smith to Sadiqullah “as an individual who could collect debts by any means necessary,” prosecutors said in the news release.
Unbeknownst to Sadiqullah and Shalash, Smith was an FBI informant.
To try to get the money back, Sadiqullah and Smith decided to kidnap the man or the man’s son. If necessary, the plan was to kill the man, according to the release. Sadiqullah and others “cornered” the man “at his place of business and called Smith to carry out the plan,” the release states.
Smith then contacted the FBI, and the man and his son were taken into protective custody.
Sadiqullah will be on supervised release for five years after he is released from prison.
Shalash pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in January. He was sentenced in June to two years in prison.
After he is released, Shalash will be supervised for five years, including one year of home incarceration. He also was ordered to forfeit $81,861.99 and pay a $20,000 fine.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 6:03 PM.
