Aurora woman gets 20 years for trying to have ex-boyfriend killed

A west suburban woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to hire a hit man to kill her ex-boyfriend in 2010.

Friday night, Kane County Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles sentenced 28-year-old Maricela Arciga to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted her in July 2014 of solicitation of murder for hire, and solicitation of murder, each a Class X felony, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

On Sept. 26, 2010, Arciga, of Aurora, gave a hit man $200 to fatally shoot her ex-boyfriend, a statement from prosecutors said. She also provided him with a photo of her ex.

That hit man was actually David Gomez, special agent for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who had been tipped-off about the murder for hire. Gomez was contacted by a co-worker of Arciga’s, who had recently started a relationship with her and learned she was seeking to have her ex-boyfriend, Juan Garcia, killed, the Chicago Sun-Times previously reported.

On Oct. 4, 2010, after Arciga and Gomez had multiple telephone conversations to discuss the woman’s plan, the pair met again in person and Gomez confirmed Arciga wanted Garcia murdered, prosecutors said. During that meeting, she agreed to pay an additional $1,800 over the next two months.

After the meeting, Arciga was arrested by Aurora police and acknowledged that she tried to arrange Garcia’s murder, prosecutors said.

Arciga’s attorney admitted that she did want her ex-boyfriend dead, but was “entrapped” and persuaded by Gomez and her co-worker into actually paying someone to do it, according to previous reports.

Arciga said she and her co-worker were dating. She confided in him about wanting Garcia killed. The man told Arciga he would commission his cousin to carry out the hit. Instead, he went to police.

Arciga, who was sentenced two days before her 28th birthday, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence and will get credit for at least 1,606 days served in the Kane County Jail.