Phoenix man sentenced to 8.5 years for trying to hire hitman to kill mother of his children

PHOENIX– A Phoenix man was sentenced on Monday to 8 1/2 years in prison for trying to kill the mother of his children, authorities said.

Ali Joseph, 44, pleaded guilty on December 12, 2023, to one count of trying to arrange an interstate murder-for-hire plot, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He wanted to kill his ex-wife to gain sole custody of their two minor daughters, according to court documents shared with KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Joseph told an undercover FBI source he wanted sole custody of the children for religious purposes. He considered his ex-wife an “apostate,” the court documents said. He claimed the victim wouldn’t set their children on “the right path.”

Joseph eventually offered to pay an undercover FBI employee $3,000 to kill his ex-wife, prosecutors said.

Joseph asked the person he thought was a hitman to disguise himself as a homeless person before attacking and robbing the victim as she left her workplace, the office said.

He gave a $1,000 down payment for the contract killing, along with photos of the victim and identifying information, prosecutors said.

Joseph even said he wanted the hitman to stab the victim in the neck to ensure her death, the office said.

The FBI led the investigation, while the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, handled the prosecution.