One of the Garden State’s craziest political crime dramas reached another milestone last week.
On Thursday, Bomani Africa was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with a New Jersey Democrat political consultant and a third man to commit a murder for hire. The consultant – Sean Caddle – plead guilty back in January 2022; his sentencing is scheduled for March 2023. Africa’s co-conspirator George Bratsenis will also be sentenced next month.
In case you’re new to this exceptionally twisted tale, here’s an overview pulled directly from the government’s court filings:
“In April of 2014, Caddle solicited another conspirator, George Bratsenis, 74, of Monroe, Connecticut, to commit a murder on Caddle’s behalf in exchange for thousands of dollars. Bratsenis then recruited Africa, a longtime accomplice, to join the plot. After Bratsenis confirmed his and Africa’s interest in the job, Caddle told Bratsenis that the target was a longtime associate who had worked for Caddle on various political campaigns.
On May 22, 2014, Africa and Bratsenis traveled from out of state to the victim’s apartment in Jersey City. After entering the apartment, Africa and Bratsenis stabbed the victim to death and then Bratsenis set fire to the victim’s apartment.
After Caddle learned that the victim had been murdered, the following day, he met Bratsenis in the parking lot of a diner in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Caddle paid Bratsenis thousands of dollars in exchange for the murder, and Bratsenis shared a portion of those proceeds with Africa.”
Africa will be 82 in 20 years. He’ll be subject to an additional five years of supervised release assuming he doesn’t croak behind bars prior to the end of his prison sentence.
