CORRECTION OFFICER ORDERS HIT

twisted badge - Dec 11, 2003 4:28 pm

United States Department of Justice Michael J. Sullivan U.S. Attorney District of Massachusetts United States Attorney's Office John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200 Boston, MA 02210 Press Office: (617) 748-3139

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December 10, 2003

CORRECTIONAL OFFICER ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH MURDER FOR HIRE SCHEME

Boston, MA... A correctional officer in the Bristol County Sheriff's Office was arrested today on federal charges that he attempted to arrange a murder for hire.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Thomas M. Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff; and Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England, announced today that ROBERT A. RAMOS, age 44, of 121 Sherman Street, South Dartmouth, was arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with traveling in interstate commerce and using and causing the use of interstate commerce facilities with the intent paying an individual to commit murder.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, in September of 2003, RAMOS, a correctional officer in the Bristol County Sheriff's Office, contacted an individual to solicit his assistance in murdering a woman, identified in the affidavit as "Female X". RAMOS had previously had an intimate relationship with Female X and is the father of her 3 year old son. The individual, identified in the affidavit as a cooperating witness ("CW"), reported to law enforcement authorities that RAMOS had offered to pay the CW to murder Female X. The CW stated that RAMOS told him he wanted to kill Female X so that he would not have to continue making child support payments to her. According to the affidavit, RAMOS had a subsequent telephone conversation with the CW in which they discussed the murder for hire in further detail including the price and various scenarios by which the CW could murder Female X. It is alleged that RAMOS agreed to pay the CW $5,000 to carry out the murder.

According to the affidavit, RAMOS met with the CW in Rhode Island on October 20, 2003. During that meeting, RAMOS gave the CW a detailed physical description of Female X. RAMOS also drew a picture for the CW of the layout of Female X's residence, identifying the location of Female X's bedroom and that of his son. RAMOS and the CW again discussed various scenarios by which the CW could murder Female X, including, "mak[ing] it look like a robbery," and making it look like a drug overdose. It is alleged that RAMOS expressly told the CW, "I want her dead." It is alleged that RAMOS told the CW that, "it would have to look like it didn't come from me. That's all I'm really worried about." It is also alleged that RAMOS further told the CW that it was all right to kill Female X while his three year old son was in the house. RAMOS stated that he picked his son up from Female X on Sundays and Tuesdays at approximately 11:00 a.m. Therefore, he wanted "it" to be done the day before one of those visitation days, "just so the kid's not going to starve to death."

It is alleged that after the meeting, the CW and RAMOS had further telephone conversations in November and December during which it was agreed that RAMOS would pay approximately $2,500 as a down payment before the murder took place. RAMOS told the CW that he was in the process of taking out a bank loan to finance the murder for hire and that he wanted Female X killed before Christmas. On December 9, 2003, RAMOS again met the CW in Rhode Island. At that meeting RAMOS gave the CW $2,000 as down payment for the murder of Female X which he expected to be carried out within the next five days.

RAMOS was arrested today by law enforcement officials and will have an initial appearance later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler. If convicted, RAMOS faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bristol County Sheriff's Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Schulman in Sullivan's Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit.

Press Contact: Samantha Martin, (617) 748-3139

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