Man arrested in Broward after hiring hitman who was ATF agent: Feds

A man who tried to hire a hitman in Broward to kill a business rival who'd "ruined his life" was arrested after the hitman turned out to be an undercover agent, authorities said.

Makram Khashman, 58, was arrested Tuesday by the U.S. Marshals Service on a murder for hire charge, Broward jail records showed.

According to a criminal complaint, Khashman paid $2,500 to an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in exchange for murdering the victim, with an additional $2,500 to be paid after the murder was completed.

The investigation began in February, when an ATF confidential informant told law enforcement that Khashman had asked the informant if they would carry out a murder in exchange for a payment, the complaint said.

The informant declined but said they knew someone who could assist and introduced Khashman to the undercover agent, who posed as a hitman willing to commit the murder, the complaint said.

On Feb. 29, Khashman met with the informant and undercover agent in Plantation to discuss killing the victim, whose identity wasn't released.

The agent said he heard Khashman had a problem, "to which Khashman replied that it was a big problem," the complaint said.

"Khashman explained that he was in the streets with his family, that [the victim] had taken over a million dollars and a business worth three million dollars from Khashman," the complaint said.

Khashman told the undercover agent "whatever had to be done" and said he wanted "something easy, like an injection," the complaint said.

The agent "directly asked Khashman if he wanted the victim gone, to which Khashman affirmed, and declared he 'didn't give a f---,'" the complaint said.

The agent advised that once he was committed there was no going back and Khashman answered "no problem" multiple times, the complaint said.

The agent also explained to Khashman that he would bring guys down from New York and would need a few days to put eyes on the victim before completing the job, the complaint said.

Khashman was told the price was usually between $5,000 and $10,000, and Khashman offered $5,000, saying he'd already spoken with other people who would do it for that price, the complaint said.

The agent agreed and told Khashman he'd need information about the victim, and said once he had the info and initial payment, the job would be completed within a week.

On March 19, Khashman met the undercover agent in Plantation, where he gave him details on the victim and handed over the cash, the complaint said.

The agent told Khashman that there was no going back, and Khashman said the victim had "ruined his life" and wanted the victim dead, the complaint said.

Khashman had told the agent the victim had a warehouse in Parkland that was a large area with nobody around and advised the agent to "do it quiet and calm," the complaint said.

Khashman was arrested and booked into jail, where he remained on a U.S. Marshals hold, records showed.

NBC6 reached out to his attorney for comment and was waiting to hear back.