The man accused of a plotting to kill Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Tuesday.
Ryan Grant, a 34-year-old strip-club owner, plead guilty in September to organizing a murder-for-hire plot to kill Cluck and attorney Tom Brandt.
“I’m glad this is behind me,” said Mayor Cluck, standing next to his wife. Cluck told the court that the ordeal has been trying for his family.
Just before he was sentenced, Grant apologized to Cluck and his family.
“I messed up, that’s the bottom line,” Grant told the court. "It was never my intention to actually harm anyone.”
He blamed his addiction to prescription pain killers for what his attorney described as out of character behavior.
According to an FBI criminal complaint, Grant, of Kennedale, offered to pay $10,000 for each murder.
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Grant was reportedly angry with Cluck and the attorney after he agreed to close his strip club, Flashdancer Cabaret, for one year in order to settle a nuisance lawsuit filed by the city and the Texas attorney general.
Grant sought to hire two Mexican hit men to kill Cluck and Brandt, according to affidavits. Court documents say that Grant went so far as to set up a meeting where he met with a man about the murder-for-hire plot and provided pictures of Cluck and Brandt.
Grant’s attorney, Warren St. John, said his client is required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. Upon completion, he’s required to have three years of supervised release.
Grant has the right to appeal his sentence.
