Hitman Executes Queens Man In Exchange For $100K Watch, Feds Say

QUEENS, NY — A hitman who murdered a man outside a Queens karaoke bar in exchange for a $100,000 luxury wristwatch will spend the rest of his life in prison, prosecutors said.

Federal jurors found Antony Abreu, 36, guilty Tuesday of murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy.

Abreu's conviction rounds out the prosecutions of members of a "murder plot driven by greed and revenge" that claimed the life of Xin "Chris" Gu, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.

"The victim was marked for death simply because he was pursuing the American dream by starting his own company," Peace said in a statement.

The plot hatched after Gu left his former boss Allen Yu's business to start his own property development company, authorities said.

An enraged Yu, stung by the perceived disloyalty and losing business, hired You You and Zhe Zhang to kill Gu, prosecutors said.

Zhang hired Abreu, who shot Gu multiple times outside a Queens karaoke bar Feb. 11, 2019, officials said.

Abreu received a luxury Richard Mille wristwatch valued at more than $100,000 as payment for the murder, authorities said.

He showed off the watch in social media posts, in addition to bragging about the murder to friends, prosecutors said.

Officials said that Abreu, after his eventual arrest, used a contraband phone in jail to intimidate and retaliate against government witnesses in the case.

Abreu faces a mandatory life term in prison during his upcoming sentencing, as do Yu and Zhang.

You You pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire conspiracy in June and awaits sentencing.