Florida man in murder-for-hire plot dies in prison | Crime

LAKELAND, Florida (AP) - A central Florida man convicted of trying to hire a hit man to kill an IRS agent has died in prison.

Randy Nowak was sentenced in 2009 to 30 years in prison. Federal prosecutors said Nowak had agreed to pay an undercover FBI agent $20,000 to kill an IRS agent auditing his Polk County construction company.

Justice Department officials told The Ledger that Nowak died March 12 from cardiopulmonary arrest at a federal prison in North Carolina.

The Ledger reports that Nowak maintained his innocence in letters mailed to the newspaper, including one sent in February. In that letter, Nowak said he missed his family and criticized his attorneys and federal prosecutors assigned to the case.