Bencivengo sentenced Salam Razuki, Malan’s former business partner, and another of his business associates, Sylvia Gonzales, to seven years in prison. She sentenced Elizabeth Juarez, who worked for Razuki and played a more minor role in the conspiracy, to a term of three years and 10 months.
“The evidence the court has seen shows it was anticipated the victim was not going to return , that he was going to be done away with,” Bencivengo said while sentencing Razuki. Elizabeth Juarez, left, and Sylvia Gonzales took a photo together on Nov. 8, 2018, allegedly to commemorate planning a plot to kidnap and kill Ninus Malan.
Outside court Thursday, Malan said that he had worked with Razuki for more than 10 years, mostly on commercial real estate dealings and later cannabis ventures, and they had built a portfolio of more than $40 million. Juarez’s attorney argued that the extent of her involvement in the plot was eight minutes at the sushi restaurant when she boasted about having capabilities she didn’t actually have. “She said this ‘wasn’t her first rodeo’ — it was,” defense attorney Allen Bloom said.