Jury Convicts Man of Attempting to Have Rival Killed

A federal court jury in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday convicted a former Woodland Hills man of trying to hire an assassin to kill a business rival who won several lawsuits against him, officials said.

The jury deliberated only two hours before convicting Arthur Root, 55, of one count of murder-for-hire, Assistant U.S. Atty. Barbara Curry said. Undercover federal agents prevented the assassination, she added.

Curry said Barry Martin, a Los Angeles attorney, had won multiple lawsuits--including one for about $800,000--against Root, an entrepreneur who has served as a consultant to real estate agents and currently runs a ski equipment rental business near Oakland.

Martin placed liens on Root’s property to secure the judgment, leading Root to place a call from his vacation home in Stateline, Nev., to a reputed hit man.

Root, who had been free on bond during the weeklong trial but now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, was placed in federal custody after the verdict, Curry said. Sentencing is set for Aug. 12.