Moneyman ID’d; 10th susp busted
The moneyman behind the botched Dominican Republic murder-for-hire plot targeting ex-Red Sox star David Ortiz was identified Monday as authorities announced the arrest of a 10th suspect.
Alleged hit-financier Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota remains on the lam nine days after the attack on the future Hall of Fame slugger as Ortiz sat with friends in a Santo Domingo club, according to authorities. The gunman fired a single bullet into Ortiz’s back.
The latest suspect in custody was identified as Gabriel Alexander Perez Vizcaino, with officials alleging that he served as the go-between between the Big Papi hit team and the still-missing Mota.
Vizcaino, known as “Bone,” sold off a gold iPhone 6 used in plotting the attack to cover up details of the murder try, according to court documents. He sold it to a woman for $180, telling her she could have it for so little because it was giving him problems, the documents alleged.
“He did this upon finding out that police were looking for him,” the court document said.
The documents also said a man who is in prison for an unrelated case reached out to Vizcaino for the alleged job a week before the June 9 shooting and sent him a picture of the target so he could share it with the hit men.
Vizcaino allegedly shared the picture with the other suspects as they gathered at a nearby gas station just minutes before the shooting. Officials have not said whether the picture was of Ortiz.
The would-be killers were paid just $7,800 for the attack on Ortiz, 43, who earned a reported $16 million in the 2016 season — his last before retiring.
A lawyer for the powerhitting Ortiz expressed his satisfaction with the work thus far of law enforcement in the Dominican Republic.
“Trust the authorities,” said attorney Jose Martinez Hoepelman. “They have worked tirelessly to obtain the results that we have so far. We all want information, but we have to wait.”
Vizcaino, 24, remained mute as he was led from the courtroom after the hearing. He wore a red T-shirt, a helmet and a flak jacket. Officials said they were looking for at least one more suspect, known as “The Surgeon,” in addition to the man who paid the plotters.
Ortiz’s wife Tiffany provided a Tuesday update on her husband’s health, with his condition upgraded to “good” inside the intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“We remain grateful to everyone who has helped David through his ordeal, both in the Dominican Republic and here in Boston,” she said. “David’s journey to good health has been bolstered by the many expressions of love that have come to us from across the globe.”