Los Osos man accused of murder-for-hire scheme pleads not guilty

The owner of a Los Osos-based moving company pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he attempted to orchestrate a murder-for-hire scheme to kill a business associate.

Anthony Gene Stevens, 52, of Los Osos was arrested Feb. 2 and is accused of meeting with an undercover officer in an Arroyo Grande parking lot and handing over an undisclosed amount of cash in exchange for the murder of the associate, identified only as a 30-year-old male resident of San Luis Obispo.

Stevens, who has been in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail since his arrest, is now being held without bail following a motion at Tuesday’s hearing, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said.

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office on Monday filed two formal charges of solicitation to commit murder. If convicted of both counts, Stevens faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison, Assistant District Attorney Lee Cunningham said.

Stevens tried to solicit two individuals, identified only as “J.S.” and “J.D.,” to commit the murder of a victim identified as “A.S.,” according to the complaint. Cunningham said Wednesday that one of the two men solicited for the crime was a law enforcement officer.

Though the details of the exchange have not been released, the investigation involved local, state and federal agencies, the San Luis Obispo Police Department wrote in a news release.

San Luis Obispo police were notified that Stevens, listed online as the owner of T. Stevens Moving Co., was actively looking for someone to kill the associate, according to the release. The department’s Special Enforcement Team used an undercover detective to set up a meeting with Stevens at a public parking lot, where Stevens is accused of providing the officer information about the victim, such as his name, home address and photographs.

After reportedly agreeing on a price, Stevens left the parking lot and allegedly returned with an undisclosed cash payment. Once the cash was presented, Stevens was arrested without incident, according to the release.

The Police Department said that the Sheriff’s Office, the CHP and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives helped with the operation.

Following Stevens’ plea Tuesday, San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Dodie Harman issued a protective order for the man Stevens is accused of targeting.

Court records show that Stevens has retained attorney Ilan Funke-Bilu. Funke-Bilu did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.

Stevens is due back in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Los Osos man accused of murder-for-hire scheme pleads not guilty."