Please note the correction below. John Tobe Larson was sentenced to time served in federal prison (approximately 35 months), not 41 months as originally stated.
MEDFORD, Ore. – A local man arrested in connection with a murder-for-hire plot was sentenced to federal prison.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Josephine County resident John Tobe Larson was involved in distributing marijuana to other states. He allegedly smuggled cash back into Oregon on a private plane he piloted.
Already under watch from the Drug Enforcement Agency, investigators learned Larson was allegedly trying to find someone to murder an associate who owed him $75,000.
Prosecutors said in June of 2019, Larson met with an undercover officer to discuss plans for the hit. He allegedly told the agent he wanted the body of his associate to never be found, explaining his belief the associate was a “rat” who worked with law enforcement in the past.
Later that same month, Larson met again with the agent in a Grants Pass hotel room, delivering $10,000 in cash, prosecutors said. He provided the agent with the victim’s name, address, and other information. Larson allegedly told the agent he wanted a picture of the victim’s body being dumped in the ocean before paying the other half of the contract price.
The DOJ said on August 21, 2019, Larson was arrested in Rogue River. Right before he was taken into custody, he was reportedly led to believe the murder was completed and gave an undercover agent $5,000 and concentrated marijuana.
Once he was behind bars, Larson was charged with using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
This past April, Larson pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charge.
On July 13, 2022, Larson, now 71 years old, was sentenced to 35 months in prison and five years of probation.
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