DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, June 18 ― Dominican Republic authorities identified the man they believe led the plot to assassinate former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, but they did not have him in custody as of yesterday.

Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota was identified in court documents as the man who intended to pay 400,000 Dominican pesos, roughly US$7,800 (RM32,624), to hire people to kill Ortiz, multiple media outlets reported.

According to the Boston Globe, Mota is charged with attempted murder.

The man whom authorities maintain was the middle man between the mastermind and the hitmen, Gabriel Alexander Perez Vizcaino, 24, was charged yesterday with helping to plot the attack. He was arrested Saturday, and a judge ruled Monday that he could be held for up to a year while the investigation continues.

Jose Eduardo Ciprian, who allegedly helped put Vizcaino together with Mota even though he was in jail at the time, faces new charges due to his involvement, the Globe reported.

Vizcaino sold his iPhone the day after the June 9 shooting, apparently attempting to dispose of evidence of the plot, according to court documents, which also say Vizcaino was sent a photo of the target on the day of the shooting.

Rolfi Ferreira Cruz, 25, is jailed and reportedly confessed to being the shooter. However, he maintained last week that he was hired to kill someone else, not Ortiz.

Ortiz, 43, remains hospitalised in Boston, where he was transported a day after being shot in a Santo Domingo nightclub. Doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his colon and intestines in the initial surgery. Ortiz also sustained liver damage. ― AFP