‘Nutty’ Gunman Claims He was Hired to Kill Bronx Boro Prez

‘Transitioning’ Prisoner Sexually Assaulted Female Inmate, Law Enforcement Sources Say

A Florida man was convicted of gun possession after claiming he was hired to shoot Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Above). Investigators said there is no proof to the man's claims. -Photo by David Greene

By David Greene

Bronx Voice

August 1, 2024

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BRONX - A Florida man was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to gun posession and was slapped with two attempted sexual assault charges while being held on Rikers Island. According to the Bronx District Attorney's Office the man claimed he was hired to kill then-Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. That claim was never proven.

According to the criminal complaint Christopher Cano, 30, formerly of Miami, Florida was arrested during the Bronx Dominican Parade along the Grand Concourse on July 24, 2016, after being spotted with a handgun tucked inside his waistband.

Cano was found to be in possession of a loaded .38 caliber handgun and at the time he told officers that he had a bomb in his shoe. Cano also claimed that he was paid $5,000 to kill Diaz, who according to the Bronx District Attorney, was at the parade.

Cano was also charged with the rape of a female prisoner at the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island that took place on October 19, 2020 as well as the May 4, 2021 sexual assault of a male inmate at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island.

One source close to the investigation told the Bronx Voice, "I don't know if they ever really believed he was going to kill the borough president, he just seems to be kind of nutty. I think he made a lot of other crazy claims."

The source also said that Cano was "transitioning" from a man to a woman, which is why he was first housed at the women's detention center on Rikers Island, before he was moved to the men's center.

The Bronx Voice made two attempts to confirm that with the Unified Court System, who has not responded to our requests.

Diaz, now an executive with Montefiore Medical Center, had no comment on the incident.