Three Charged in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot Targeting Former Boy Band Member

A high-powered Miami lawyer, his influencer daughter and a Hawaiian surf instructor were charged Tuesday with conspiracy, attempted murder and solicitation to commit murder in an alleged plot targeting a Los Angeles singer who was a member of a 2010s boy band.

The target of the plot was Jack Avery, who was once a member of L.A.-based boy band Why Don't We, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Francisco Gonzalez, his daughter Gabriela Gonzalez and Kai Cordrey were all charged Tuesday, according to court records made public late Tuesday morning.

Gonzalez were furious at Avery because of a child custody dispute, according to the sources. Avery and Gabriela Gonzalez have a 7-year-old daughter. Cordrey married Gabriela after she split from Avery, though his role in the alleged crime was not clear.

The elder Gonzalez is a native of Venezuela who works at the Florida-based law firm Shahady & Wurtenberger, where he specializes in international cases, according to his biography on the law firm's website.

One source said the FBI intercepted the scheme years ago and that Avery was not in danger. A spokeswoman for the FBI in Los Angeles did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Times could not immediately reach a representative for Avery.

A spokesman for the L.A. County district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gabriela Gonzalez, 25, was booked into a Los Angeles County jail Monday on suspicion of conspiracy, records show. Her father was arrested Monday in Florida, according to TMZ, which first broke details of the plot.

Cordrey was expected to be arrested in Hawaii, and Gabriela Gonzalez will likely be arraigned in a downtown L.A. courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, one source said. Attorneys for the defendants were not yet listed in court records.