Former IRS Agent Gets 24 Years in Murder-for-Hire Plot That Targeted La Jollan

A former IRS agent-turned-tax preparer was sentenced Friday to nearly 24 years in federal prison for charges including a plot to kill Monique Siegel of La Jolla.

Steven Martinez of Ramona pleaded guilty last August to a dozen charges, including murder-for-hire and money laundering, after defrauding clients out of more than $11 million and then plotted their murders to prevent them from testifying about the theft.

One of the would-be targets was Siegel, then 86, according to the original complaint of March 2012. See attached PDF.

A former employee of Martinez said Martinez provided information about how to “best enter Siegel’s residence, including information about her gate, which is typically unlocked, and her sliding door, which is typically kept open.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Orabona told District Judge William Q. Hayes that the 51-year-old defendant deserved a significant sentence in part because he meticulously planned the murders by giving a would-be assassin—who was a cooperating witness for the FBI—detailed instructions and information about each of the four victims.

Martinez admitted in court that he tried to prevent the former clients’ testimony by offering the FBI’s cooperating witness $100,000 to murder them.

The defendant also admitted that he converted about $11 million in stolen taxpayer funds for his own personal benefit, using the money to make home improvements, purchase a beach house in Mexico and pay for the use of a private airplane.

In addition to serving a 286-month sentence, Martinez was ordered to pay more than $14 million in restitution to the victims, the Internal Revenue Service and the California Franchise Tax Board.

—City News Service contributed to this report.