George Bratsenis, a 74-year-old career criminal hired by Sean Caddle in 2014 to murder a business associate, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for stabbing Michael Galdieri and then setting his apartment on fire.
U.S. District Court Judge John Michael Vazquez went beyond the sentencing recommendation of the U.S. Attorney’s office, which was 12 ½ to 15 years in prison.
Caddle, a former political consultant, has admitted to hiring Bratsenis to commit a murder for hire during a dinner at his home. Bratsenis then hired Bomani Africa. All three have pleaded guilty; Africa was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Caddle is set to be sentenced on June 29.
The murder remained a cold case until an investigation into two armed bank robberies committed by Bratsenis and Africa led them to Caddle, whose brother had served in prison with Bratsenis.
“Given his age…and the lengthy prison sentence he invariably faces on this charge, Bratsenis poses less of a specific deterrence threat,” Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee M. Cortes, Jr. said in a letter to the judge.
The letter indicated that Caddle paid between $2,000 and $4,000 upfront and agreed upon a price of $15,000. Prosecutors say that Caddle met Bratsenis in a mall parking lot the next day to pay the balance.
Bratsenis had cooperated with federal prosecutors. Vazquez also sentenced Bratsenis to five years of supervised release.
Galdieri, a Jersey City political operative, was the son of Sta
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