An attorney who attempted to hire someone he believed would arrange the murder of the mother of his children has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in San Francisco, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice Northern District of California.

Allen Gessen, 49, a Massachusetts attorney, first encountered an undercover FBI agent during a money laundering investigation in the summer of 2022.

During two meetings with the undercover agent, Gessen disclosed details about his ongoing dispute with his former partner, which had led to contentious child custody battles, according to prosecutors.

Initially discussing bribing an immigration official to deport his former partner, Gessen’s intentions shifted to hiring someone for her murder, leveraging the connections he believed the undercover agent, posing as a criminal, would have.

Originally, Gessen negotiated a $100,000 deal for the bribery and deportation plan but later opted for the murder, offering $50,000 for the task.

Prosecutors stated that Gessen wanted to eliminate his former partner because he deemed it “cheaper” and more permanent than other solutions. He also sought full custody of their children. Gessen informed the undercover agent that he had previously attempted to hire individuals to kill her but they had raised their price to $210,000.

Ultimately, Gessen wired $23,000 to an undercover FBI bank account in San Francisco, hoping the murder would occur. Additionally, he sent the agent an agreement to pay for fictitious consulting services to mask the true nature of the funds and provided information about the woman’s location, schedule, and lifestyle habits. Gessen was indicted in July 2022, charged with one count of murder for hire, and was convicted by a jury. He was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.