Connecticut man sentenced to 16 years in prison for killing N.J. senator’s son in murder-for-hire scheme

NEWARK, N.J. — George Bratsenis, a career criminal whose rap sheet stretches back decades, was sentenced to 16 years in prison Wednesday for killing the son of a New Jersey lawmaker in a murder-for-hire scheme that a federal judge called one of the most “heinous” crimes he’d seen.

Bratsenis, 74, was sentenced for his role as one of two hit men hired by Sean Caddle, a prominent campaign consultant in the Garden State, to kill Michael Galdieri in 2014. Caddle told a federal judge he had hired Bratsenis, a prolific bank robber, and Philadelphian Bomani Africa, Bratsenis’ accomplice in bank robberies and at one point a member of MOVE, to kill Galdieri.

Galdieri was the son of the late State Sen. James A. Galdieri and was one of Caddle’s employees. Caddle, who pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit murder for hire, said he had hired the two men to kill Galdieri because he had been stealing from him.

As U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez read the sentence, Bratsenis stood and listened intently but did not say anything. After his attorney, Charles Kurmay, discussed the sentence with him, Bratsenis’ face fell.

“So I’m a dead man walking,” he said.

Africa was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the scheme last month, after pleading guilty in 2022. Caddle is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

Before Vazquez handed down the sentence, Bratsenis apologized to Galdieri’s family.

“I apologize with my heart, my soul to Michael’s family and Michael himself,” Bratsenis said. “He was a real nice guy. I spent two years with him before this incident happened. I just got caught up between two people that I thought were friends and everything. One turned against the other and disaster struck.”

After acknowledging Bratsenis’ cooperation with investigators as being instrumental in “breaking open” Galdieri’s murder, which had essentially become a cold case, Vazquez nevertheless sentenced him to a term beyond the 12 to 15 years recommended by prosecutors.

“I had trouble coming up with descriptive words for how vile this crime was,” he said.

On May 22, 2014, Bratsenis and Africa drove to Galdieri’s apartment, stabbed him to death, and set the place on fire. The day after the murder, Caddle met Bratsenis in the parking lot of an Elizabeth diner and paid him “thousands of dollars” for the hit, Caddle said.

A medical exam revealed that Galdieri had been stabbed in his head, neck, and torso, but it took authorities years to find and punish his killers. .

While incarcerated for a 2014 Connecticut bank-robbery spree, Bratsenis cooperated with federal authorities and helped solve the cold case.

As far back as 1974, Bratsenis was involved in crime, convicted of multiple bank robberies and a murder. While serving a sentence for an unsuccessful prison escape and jewelry heists, Bratsenis met Africa, who was serving a sentence for robbery, aggravated assault, and drug distribution.

The two hatched a plan to team up and rob banks together when they were released, investigators said.

Caddle, who served as an adviser to New Jersey officials including State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, met Bratsenis through Caddle’s brother, who was serving a sentence for kidnapping, burglary, and robbery in the same New Jersey prison as Bratsenis.

After he was released in 2013, Bratsenis started working for Caddle, who was running a state Senate campaign at the time.

In the spring of 2014, prosecutors said, Caddle invited Bratsenis to dinner at his Jersey City home and after explaining that he knew of his criminal history, told him he wanted someone killed for $15,000. Bratsenis later asked Africa for help with the crime.

On May 22, 2014, the two men drove to Galdieri’s apartment and shortly after he invited them inside, they stabbed him to death, then set the apartment on fire.