Two men have been sentenced to life in federal prison for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot that left a Katy-area man seriously wounded as he drove to work.
A jury convicted 43-year-old Michael Seery of Katy and 52-year-old Ricardo Obando Jr. of Houston following an eight-day trial in February.
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After roughly two days of deliberations, jurors found both men guilty. A federal judge imposed life sentences for both Seery and Obando Jr., the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced Tuesday.
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Prosecutors said the plot unfolded over several months and culminated in a shooting on the morning of Feb. 4, 2025, along Highway 99.
Evidence presented at trial showed Obando carried out the attack, firing multiple shots into an unsuspecting man’s vehicle. The victim suffered gunshot wounds to his neck, torso and hand but survived.
Authorities say Seery hired Obando to kill a man he believed had an affair with his wife years earlier while he was in prison.
Testimony revealed Seery remained fixated on the alleged affair more than a decade later and was still expressing anger about it just weeks before the shooting.
However, investigators determined the wrong person was targeted.
The intended victim had already moved from the residence Seery associated with him, and the man who was shot had no connection to the alleged affair.
Jurors were shown extensive evidence, including cell phone data that prosecutors said documented surveillance of the victim and a prior failed attempt before the shooting.
The court also reviewed video captured from the victim’s in-car camera, which recorded the moment gunfire erupted and the immediate 911 call that followed.
Additional evidence tied Seery to the planning of the attack, including firearms and components recovered from his home and storage unit, as well as a 3D printer prosecutors said was used to manufacture the weapon and a silencer used in the shooting.
Authorities testified Seery paid Obando through his business to carry out the killing.
During the trial, defense attorneys argued there was no clear link between the defendants and the actual victim or intended target.
Obando’s defense challenged the reliability of cell phone data, while Seery denied involvement in the conspiracy. Jurors ultimately rejected those claims.
Both men will remain in federal custody and are expected to be transferred to facilities within the Federal Bureau of Prisons at a later date.