A New York man convicted of flying to Miami and driving a hitman to kill a high-profile car designer learned his fate Monday for being the “architect” of the botched assassination plot.
Jamie Serrano, 46, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for plotting to shoot Alex Vega in August 2019, according to the Department of Justice.
Serrano is the second man to be sentenced for his involvement in the brazen shooting.
The gunman, Julian Jimenez, 27, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison on Nov. 3 for shooting Vega three times as he pulled her black Range Rover into his garage.
Serrano, the mastermind behind the rampage, had rented a vehicle after he arrived in Florida on August 21, 2019, to hide his surveillance of the victim as he watched his target for four days.
Julian Jimenez was seen sneaking up behind Vega as he pulled his black Range Rover into his garage.
On Aug. 27, the day of the shooting, Serrano traded in his rental vehicle for a new one and, then drove Jimenez to Kendall’s neighborhood in Vega, the DOJ shared.
Wearing a surgical mask and gloves while holding a gun, Jimenez ran up behind Vega as he entered his garage and opened fire, intending to kill the car designer.
The hitman fired eight shots at the victim — hitting him three times — then fled the scene, where he ran back to Serrano’s parked car and jumped into the trunk of the rental vehicle as the two men fled.
Vega required surgery to remove the bullet left in his body, the DOJ reported.
Jimenez fired eight shots into the car, hitting Vega three times before fleeing.
Both men were arrested in August 2022 for failing to strike.
Although Serrano was not the shooter, the jury ruled he played a key role in the fatal shooting since he bought a plane ticket from New York to Miami, rented a car, and obtained the .40-caliber handgun Jimenez used to shoot. Vega.
During the two-week trial, Judge Roy Altman repeatedly referred to Serrano as the “architect” of the plot to kill Vega, according to the Miami Herald.
The judge also said during the trial that Serrano was “connected to people who wanted Mr. Vega dead.”
Alex Vega (left) with football icon David Beckham.Instagram /theautofirm Vega with Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt after customizing a Jeep for the fastest man alive.Instagram /theautofirm
The two guilty men did not reveal why or who authorized the attack on Vega.
A witness allegedly told the FBI that the two men were offered $60,000 to carry out the attack, although that has not been confirmed, according to the Herald
Vega, the owner of a high-profile body shop in South Florida, has a client list that includes stars such as Marc Anthony, Shakira, soccer legend David Beckham, gold medalist Olympian Usain Bolt, Floyd Mayweather and MLB stars David Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Jimenez’s would-be killer’s father, Marcos, was one of Marc Anthony’s sound engineers and occasional property manager, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
Vega (left) with singer Marc Anthony.Instagram /theautofirm Vega with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.Instagram /theautofirm
Anthony, who is not suspected of involvement in the crime, is reportedly good friends with Vega after modifying several of the music star’s cars in recent years.
Serrano has also dabbled in the music industry, representing and marketing various artists, according to the outlet.
“If I could go back in time, I would take it back,” Serrano told Altman during Tuesday’s sentencing.
Both men will be released for five years after serving their sentences.
Vega appeared at Tuesday’s hearing and also spoke briefly before the sentencing, demanding that Serrano be slapped with the maximum sentence legally allowed — sharing that the ordeal not only hurt him physically, but that he and his family have lived in fear since the shooting. , and need a bodyguard when they leave the house.
“I want this man to see his last day in a cell,” Vega told the judge.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
