Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Plot to Kill his Wife

NORFOLK, Va. – Chadwick Stanley Ghesquiere, 38, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to charges related to his role in an attempted murder-for-hire plot to kill his wife. 

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in August 2016, Ghesquiere hired an undercover federal special agent to murder his estranged wife.  Ghesquiere provided the undercover 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. 

Ghesquiere will be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2017, and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 14 years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Tim Quick, Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by Senior Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock is prosecuting 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.