Libertyville businessman indicted on murder-for-hire charges

A federal grand jury has indicted a Libertyville businessman with crimes related to his attempt to hire a hitman to kill an associate that had sued him, according to the Department of Justice.

Brooks Kellogg, 72, of Chicago was arrested in Denver on Oct. 19 after he flew to Denver to meet with an undercover FBI agent, who he thought was a hitman, according to authorities.

Kellog, the president of a Libertyville real-estate agency, was indicted late Tuesday in Denver on two counts after police said he paid an undercover agent $2,000 in cash at the Denver International Airport to murder a Florida man who had won a $2.5 million lawsuit against him earlier this year.

The first count states that Kellogg traveled from Minneapolis to Denver with the intent that a murder of a Florida man be committed in exchange for money. That count holds a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine after a conviction.

The second count states that Kellogg crossed state lines with the intent that a murder be committed. That count holds a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and up to a $250,000 fine after a conviction.

He is being held without bond and will be arraigned Friday morning in Denver.