Brooks Kellog Sentenced to Federal Prison for Murder-for-Hire Scheme
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 01, 2011 |
DENVER—Brooks Kellogg, age 72 and a resident of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced this afternoon by U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello to serve 72 months (six years) in federal prison, followed by two years on supervised release, for traveling in interstate commerce in commission of murder-for-hire, United States Attorney John Walsh and FBI Special Agent in Charge James Yacone announced. Judge Arguello also ordered Kellogg to pay a $100,000 fine. Kellogg, who appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, was then remanded.
Brooks Kellogg was arrested based on a criminal complaint on October 20, 2010. He was then charged by information on November 1, 2010, which was followed by an indicted returned by a federal grand jury on November 3, 2010. Kellogg was later charged by superseding indictment on February 8, 2011. On April 28, 2011, Kellogg pled guilty before Judge Arguello. He was sentenced today, September 1, 2011.
According to court documents, on October 19, 2010, after flying from Minneapolis, Minnesota and arriving at Denver International Airport, Kellogg met at the airport with an FBI agent acting in an undercover capacity. Kellogg paid the undercover agent $2,000 in cash to murder a Florida man with whom he was involved in a real estate transaction that resulted in civil court litigation. Kellogg had already paid an additional $6,000 for the hit. The Florida man had sued Kellogg, obtaining a multi-million-dollar judgment.
“As today’s sentence reveals, anyone attempting to hire a contract killer will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
“This case demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to aggressively investigate all levels of violent crimes,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge James Yacone. “Mr. Kellogg’s criminal activity was thwarted through a quick and decisive investigation.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the Denver Police Department assisting with the arrest.
Kellogg was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown.