Euripedes "Caca" Caguana Charged with Federal Murder-for-Hire

A Chicago man was charged today with federal murder-for-hire after he was arrested yesterday without incident by FBI agents and Chicago police officers. The defendant, Euripedes Caguana, also known as “Caca,” 59, of Chicago, allegedly wanted to have killed two individuals he believed were scheduled to testify against his son, who is awaiting trial on murder and related charges in Cook County Circuit Court.

Caguana appeared this morning in U.S. District Court and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing at 11:30 a.m. next Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole.

According to the charges, a cooperating individual told law enforcement that Caguana had called him seeking to have two individuals killed to prevent them from testifying against his son. During the next couple of days, the cooperating individual and an undercover officer, posing as a hitman, engaged in a series of recorded conversations and meetings in which Caguana allegedly provided the cooperating individual with $500 to purchase a gun and offered to pay up to $7,500 to have the two individuals killed.

Murder-for-hire carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court must determine a reasonable sentence to impose under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The arrest and charges were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Salib.

A criminal complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.