A Boynton Beach man who thought he was hiring a hit man but instead unknowingly paid an undercover police officer has pleaded guilty in federal court to murder-for-hire charges.
Makram Khashman, 58, was arrested earlier this year after a confidential informant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reported that Khashman was looking for a hitman.
The informant passed the information on to an undercover ATF agent, posing as the hit man Khashman unknowingly gave $5,000 to in exchange for killing an individual who he said received more than $1 million from him and a company had stolen from him, according to a filed criminal complaint. in March.
Khashman admitted that he met with the undercover agent in late February and that he told the undercover agent he did not care how the intended target was killed, federal prosecutors said in a news release Wednesday.
During that first meeting in Plantation, Khashman said “he was on the street with his family” because the person had stolen $1 million from him and a business valued at $3 million, according to the settlement document. He told the officer to do “whatever needed to be done” and suggested the officer use an injection.
In March, he met with the agent again in Plantation, where he paid the first half of the promised $5,000 and provided the target’s name, car details and work schedule. He planned to pay the second half once Khashman had photos proving the person was dead, the news release said.
The undercover agent emphasized to Khashman several times that the act could not be undone, according to the criminal complaint filed earlier this year. “No,” he replied, saying he was willing to “do it (himself)” and telling the officer to stop asking questions.
Khashman pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. He faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years, prosecutors said. His sentencing is scheduled for January 7, 2025.
