Overview
- U.S. District Judge David Hittner on Tuesday sentenced Michael Seery, 43, and Ricardo Obando Jr., 52, to life in federal prison after a February jury conviction.
- Prosecutors said Seery hired Obando to kill a man he blamed for a years-old affair, but the Feb. 4, 2025 attack on Highway 99 wounded an uninvolved commuter who survived.
- Jurors reviewed cell-phone location data that mapped surveillance and an earlier failed attempt, as well as the victim’s dashcam video showing the gunfire and his 911 call.
- Investigators linked Seery to planning and equipment, including a 3D printer used for the weapon and silencer and 57 seized firearms that also supported a felon-in-possession charge.
- FBI officials praised coordination across local, state, and federal agencies that reframed what first looked like road rage into a planned assassination attempt, with both men now awaiting Bureau of Prisons placement.