A man was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after admitting to attempting to hire a hitman to kill his ex-wife over a custody issue.

An attorney who paid someone he thought would arrange to kill the mother of his children was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Friday in San Francisco, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Northern District of California.

The murder-for-hire plot arose from “contentious” child custody proceedings, according to prosecutors in California.

“Anyone willing to hire a hitman to kill a once beloved family member and her new boyfriend is clearly a danger to the community,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Given his complete lack of respect for human life, there’s no question he belongs behind bars, and this conviction ensures that will happen.”

Phoenix man sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for trying to hire hitman to kill woman after child custody battle.

Allen Gessen initially agreed to pay an undercover FBI agent $100K for a deportation scheme but later changed his mind