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Pasco fugitive accused of trying to hire hit man

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2009

Joseph Musson

TAMPA - Either way, Robert Shane Ballard's life was on the line.

Facing a sentence of life in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine, Ballard decided to risk his life and cooperate with investigators. He would provide information about other drug dealers.

This apparently didn't sit well with one of the targets.

Joseph Musson, 32, of Hudson, now faces life in federal prison on charges that he tried to hire a hit man to kill Ballard, according to court documents unsealed today. Most of the action happened in Pasco and Pinellas counties between Aug. 1 and Sept. 17.

Authorities are searching for Musson, a fugitive who is on Pasco County's most wanted list.

The documents reveal few details about the case. But Ballard's attorney, Jeffrey Brown, said Musson paid someone $2,500 to kill his client, with another $2,500 to be paid upon proof of the murder. The would-be hit man notified law enforcement.

So, Brown said, law enforcement officers staged Ballard's death. They took him to a field, applied fake blood and put him in the back of his own car, posing him to look like a dead body. They used Ballard's cell phone to take photos of the scene.

At some point, Musson took off, Brown said. "He was on the run. My client had to move, and they had to put him up in a hotel."

Brown said Ballard, 30, of Port Richey, had no choice but to cooperate with federal agents.

"Anybody that works within this federal system recognizes that 90 percent of these drug defendants are cooperators against others," he said. "They have to cooperate because the minimum mandatory sentences are so severe."

Ballard faced a mandatory life sentence because he was considered a career criminal. He was on probation for state marijuana and cocaine charges when he was caught selling crack, and also had other prior drug convictions.

Sometimes, prosecutors recommend sentence reductions for cooperating defendants. The reductions typically are two or three levels in the federal sentencing guidelines.

In Ballard's case, prosecutors recommended a 10-level reduction. They also dismissed some charges.

This week, Ballard was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837.

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