Navy Sailor Sentenced for Murder-for-Hire Plot to Kill Wife

NORFOLK, Va. – Chadwick Stanley Ghesquiere, 38, of Virginia Beach was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder-for-hire plot to kill his wife.

“Violence is never the answer to ending a relationship,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Despite Ghesquiere’s best attempts to distance himself, law enforcement agents were able to uncover his murder-for-hire plot and potentially prevent a tragic loss of life. I want to thank our investigative partners at the ATF and NCIS for their terrific work on this case.”

Ghesquiere pleaded guilty on Oct. 11, 2016. According to court documents, in August 2016, Ghesquiere hired an undercover federal special agent to murder his estranged wife. Ghesquiere provided the undercover agent with $1,000 in cash, 80 Adderall pills, and a firearm to commit the murder. Ghesquiere also promised to pay the undercover $50,000 of his $100,000 life insurance policy for conducting the murder. After his arrest, Ghesquiere admitted that he tried to distance himself during the investigation by using a pre-paid burner phone to coordinate a meeting with the undercover agent. He also admitted to receiving Adderall from the military and then distributing the pills to another individual who resides in his neighborhood.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael B. Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Maureen Evans, Acting Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-128.