Eye surgeon Michael Mockovak, MD, wept in court after learning he would serve 20 years in prison for hiring a hitman to kill his business partner and former in-law Joseph King, MD, who helped him launch a chain of Clearly Lasik eye surgery centers throughout Washington state and western Canada.
Dr. Mockovak was convicted last month of solicitation to commit first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree theft and attempted first degree theft, according to court records.
The plot to kill reportedly began when Dr. Mockovak divorced Dr. King's sister-in-law and looked to end the pair's business relationship, reports the Seattle Post Intelligencer. According to court documents, Dr. Mockovak hoped to steal Dr. King's $4 million life insurance payout.
Dr. Mockovak allegedly approached a Clearly Lasik employee, who he believed had ties to a Russian mafia hitman, with his desire to have Dr. King killed. He gave the employee a $10,000 cash down payment and offered to pay the rest of the $15,000 murder fee by laundering money from an online credit card purchase, according to the Intelligencer.
The employee, who was working as an FBI informant, met Dr. Mockovak at a Seattle-area soccer complex, where the surgeon handed over the down payment and a poster-sized image of Dr. King, according to the Intelligencer. After dismissing the idea of a staged carjacking, Dr. Mockovak suggested the hitman drown Dr. King during an upcoming family vacation in Australia, the paper notes.
Attorneys for Dr. Mockovak reportedly say the informant misled their client, and they plan to appeal the sentence.
Daniel Cook
