Murder-for-hire scheme, which actually was a federal sting, gets Pittsburgh man 8 years in prison

A former Pittsburgh man was ordered to spend eight years in prison for an interstate murder-for-hire plan that involved killing his wife.

Brad Lanese, 52, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon.

Prosecutors say Lanese and two others, including his wife, operated a large marijuana grow operation in Northern California.

When he was told to leave, Lanese went to Pittsburgh to ask a man to help him rob the operators. He then changed his mind.

The man turned out to be a source for the Drug Enforcement Agency, the government said.

On Oct. 31, 2017, Lanese and the source traveled to California. The next day, Lanese and the confidential source met with “Deeds,” a DEA operative acting in an undercover capacity who was to provide firearms and support for the robbery.

According to the DEA, Lanese next told “Deeds” he no longer wanted to rob his wife, but instead wanted “Deeds” to murder her.

Lanese then hired “Deeds” to inject the wife with a fatal dose of heroin/fentanyl mix in the marijuana fields, and push her body and car over a cliffs and into the Pacific Ocean.

Lanese told “Deeds” that once the wife was dead, he would be able to return to the marijuana grow operation and pay him $30,000 for the murder.

Instead, Lanese was soon arrested. He was initially charged in December 2017.