Los Angeles landlord sentenced in murder-for-hire, arson plot to remove tenants
A San Gabriel Valley man who had been found guilty on multiple charges has been sentenced after authorities say he attempted to have two men killed and also plotted to burn down his North Hollywood apartment complex to remove low-income tenants.
The United States Department of Justice announced that Arthur Raffy Aslanian, 55, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in the murder-for-hire and arson plots.
A jury in July 2023 found Aslanian guilty of one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, one count of conspiracy to commit arson, one count of attempted arson, and one count of arson of a building used in interstate commerce.
According to the DOJ, Aslanian conspired with Sesar Rivera, 41, of North Hollywood, to hire a hitman to murder two people identified in court documents as “M.Y.” and “S.E.”
M.Y. was Aslanian’s lawyer in a bankruptcy case, which the 55-year-old won. However, Aslanian refused to pay M.Y. the more than $261,000 owed for legal fees and expenses.
In response, M.Y. sent a demand letter to Aslanian requesting to mediate the dispute and stating he was prepared to sue Aslanian if the mediation failed.
S.E. was a litigant who defeated Aslanian in court after Aslanian tried to take possession of the Brentwood home in which S.E.’s parents lived.
The DOJ says Rivera — who was an employee of Aslanian — met with an individual who was a gang member and convicted felon.
Rivera told the individual that a real estate businessman named “Arthur” wanted to pay him to kill M.Y. and S.E.
In July 2022, Rivera met with the gang member once again and informed the convicted felon that “Arthur” wanted M.Y. and S.E. killed as soon as possible.
Court documents state the individual who was contacted to be the hitman secretly recorded a part of the conversation where Rivera provided them with M.Y.’s information for the murder, which the man shared with law enforcement officials.
Rivera informed the individual that Aslanian would pay him $20,000 for killing M.Y. once he was provided with a photo to prove the plan had been executed.
A month after that meeting, Rivera again met with the individual and told him to focus on murdering S.E. before killing M.Y.
A short time later, Rivera used Facebook Messenger to send the proposed hitman a screenshot of victim S.E.’s Facebook profile, including S.E.’s picture and business name, to assist the individual in locating and murdering S.E.
Authorities informed both would-be victims about the murder plot, and on Sept. 7, 2022, law enforcement officials detained and questioned Rivera, who later agreed to cooperate with them.
Just over a week later, Rivera met with Aslanian and showed him a staged picture of a murdered S.E. Authorities arrested Aslanian moments later.
“This defendant thought he could get away with murder by financing a murder plot against two of his rivals,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “He will now serve a well-deserved lengthy prison sentence. This case should serve as a cautionary tale to those who would resort to violence to settle their disputes: You will be caught and the consequences will be severe.”
Aslanian was also found guilty of a March 2022 plan he hatched with Rivera. The DOJ says Aslanian used Rivera to pay an individual “a few hundred dollars” to set fire to a North Hollywood apartment complex to force his unwanted low-income tenants to move.
The arson attempt was successful, but during the investigation, authorities uncovered a failed arson attempt at the rental property that had taken place in February of 2022.
Rivera pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy and one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count at his July 8 sentencing hearing.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
