Ocean County Man Sentenced in Murder For Hire Plot Against Wife, Daughter

A Beachwood man was sentenced to six years in prison Monday for attempting to hiring a hitman to kill his wife and daughter because he was angry that they would not bail him out of the Ocean County Jail.

Philip Florio, 55, had been incarcerated in the jail on a drunk driving charge in 2011 when he attempted to hire someone to have his wife and daughter killed, according to Al Della Fave of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. His plan was foiled when he conspired with an undercover officer he believed to be a hit man.

Florio, authorities said, wanted the murders to look like a botched robbery. In exchange for his wife and daughter being killed, Florio agreed to pay the undercover officer and another proposed accomplice money, jewelry, and a Porsche Carerra.

One of a number of reasons Florio cited for seeking the contract killing was that he was upset with his wife for not bailing him out of jail on the DUI charges, said Della Fave.

Prosecutors sought a sentence of seven years under the state's No Early Release Act. Judge Francis R. Hodgson, Jr ultimately imposed a sentence of six years with no early release. 

Florio must serve five years before he is eligible for release on parole.  He has been continuously incarcerated since his 2011 arrest on the original DWI charges.