Anahuac Man Sentenced in Murder-For-Hire Plot

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 49 year-old Anahuac, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for his murder-for-hire scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced United States Attorney John M. Bales today.

David Houston Sartin pleaded guilty on Aug. 20, 2012 to attempted kidnapping and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and was sentenced to a total of 123 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.

According to information presented in court, beginning in December 2011, Sartin made attempts to hire another person to kidnap an individual from Kiev, Ukraine and deliver the individual to Sartin in the United States where Sartin then intended to kill or have the individual killed. Sartin met with an undercover agent on Mar. 6, 2012 and paid the undercover agent a deposit of $25,000 with the promise of another $25,000. Sartin was arrested in Beaumont, Texas on Mar. 23, 2012 while attempting to deliver the final $25,000. Sartin was also in possession of a handgun, a stun-gun and hand cuffs. Sartin was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 18, 2012.

Sartin was sentenced to 63 months for the attempted kidnapping charge and 60 months for the firearms violation. It was ordered that the sentences be served consecutively for a total of 123 months in federal prison. Sartin was also order to forfeit $50,000 cash, a handgun, a stungun, a laptop computer and a truck.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Department of Public Safety – Texas Rangers, Criminal Investigation Division, Aircraft Division, and the Highway Patrol Division; Beaumont Police Department; Chambers County Sheriff‘s Office; Houston Police Department and the Liberty County District Attorney‘s office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte.