James M. Spinney, Chief of Police
2 Olde North Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
For Immediate Release
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Statement of Chelmsford Police Chief James M. Spinney Regarding Federal Charges Levied Against Man in Murder-for-Hire Plot
CHELMSFORD — Police Chief James M. Spinney issues the following statement in regards to federal charges being brought against ANDREW S. GORDON, AGE 52, OF CHELMSFORD, in an alleged murder-for-hire plot.
“The allegations against this individual are extremely serious, and these latest developments further demonstrate how dangerous this subject is. I applaud our partner agencies for their efforts in bringing this investigation forward, culminating today in federal charges.”
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U.S. Attorney’s Original Press Release:
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz
District of Massachusetts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: CHRISTINA DiIORIO-STERLING
April 16, 2015 Phone (617) 748-3356
www.justice.gov/usao/ma/news.html usama.media@usdoj.gov
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CHELMSFORD MAN CHARGED IN PLOT TO MURDER STATE TROOPER
BOSTON – A Chelmsford man was charged yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston for initiating a murder-for-hire plot.
Andrew S. Gordon, 52, was charged in a criminal complaint with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. He is scheduled to have an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein on Friday, April 17, 2015.
According to the complaint, in October 2014, Gordon was charged by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office with plotting to have his estranged wife murdered. In that case, Gordon attempted to hire a “hit man” to kill his wife; however, the “hit man” was actually an undercover Massachusetts State Trooper. Since his arrest, Gordon has been held on state charges at the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail.
According to the federal complaint, while Gordon was incarcerated on the state charge, he attempted to hire a gang member living in New Hampshire to kill a Massachusetts State Trooper and another individual who were both witnesses against him in the pending case. For the commission of the murders, Gordon offered $15,000 and instructed that the murders were to appear accidental. Gordon, who believed that murdering the witnesses would effectively end the state’s ability to prosecute him, was actually communicating with an undercover officer.
The federal statute provides for a sentence of no greater than ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Gordon will be prosecuted and sentenced separately by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the crimes charged by the state.
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan; Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian; Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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