The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Lawrence Rudolph, 68, formerly of Paradise Valley, Arizona, was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Rudolph will also serve a concurrent sentence of 20 years for defrauding multiple life insurance companies, pay $4,877,744.93 in restitution, a fine of $2,000,000, and a $200 special assessment. He was also ordered to forfeit assets obtained as a result of his crime. After a trial last summer, a jury convicted Rudolph of foreign murder and a mail fraud scheme that was perpetrated in Colorado and elsewhere.
Evidence presented at trial proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Lawrence Rudolph murdered his wife Bianca while the two were on a hunting trip in Zambia on October 11, 2016. Rudolph shot his wife through the heart with a 12-gauge shotgun that was enclosed in a soft-shell case on the last day of a scheduled hunt, scheming to make the murder look like an accident. Upon his return to the United States, Rudolph filed fraudulent claims on nine separate life insurance policies issued by seven different companies to obtain $4,877,744.93.
“This result shows that no matter how much money, prestige, or power you have, you will be held accountable for your crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “The fact that justice arrived today is no accident. It was part of a dedicated effort by public servants committed to the cause of justice. We are grateful to the attorneys, staff, and investigators who made today’s result possible.”
“The defendant in this case thought he could murder his wife overseas and get away with it. He was wrong and will now be held accountable for his actions thanks to the relentless pursuit of justice by the dedicated men and women of the FBI, DOJ, and the family of Bianca Rudolph, who never lost faith in the judicial system,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek.
United States Senior District Judge William J. Martinez presided over the sentencing. Rudolph’s co-defendant, Lori Milliron, was previously sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for her role as an accessory to the murder, for obstructing the investigation into Rudolph’s crime, and for committing perjury before a grand jury.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI Denver Division. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan Fields, Garreth Winstead, and Bishop Grewell. Forfeiture proceedings are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Bohn.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
Case Number: 22-cr-00012-WJM-1
FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com.
