A Nevada woman has entered a guilty plea after being accused of trying to pay a hitman through the dark web with cryptocurrency to murder her ex-husband. Kristy Felkins entered the plea last Thursday and now faces up to ten years in prison.
Kristy Felkins Tried to Use Crypto in Murder Scheme
Felkins stands accused of coordinating with a criminal organization through the dark web. In exchange for the death of her ex, she was willing to pay the person doing the deed in digital assets. A conversational exchange between herself and the alleged hitman surfaced during her time in court and explains why she wanted her ex-husband dead:
I do stand to get money from this, but that isn’t the reason behind my motivation… This man mentally, physically, sexually, and emotionally abused me. I ran, and then he took my children away from me. He now mentally abuses my children and threatens their physical well-being. He is quite the snake and master manipulator… I know I can get the 4000 in four to five weeks, and right now, the children are visiting grandparents, so they aren’t at risk of witnessing or possibly being involved. They are safe and comfortable. My family and friends are not people that have a lot of money, and I have already borrowed from them all they can give trying to settle things with him legally with lawyers. The money I have already sent to you was the last I had to pay the lawyers for the next battle we are up against. My bank accounts are bare from running, relocating, starting over, and lawyers, not to mention I stand to get his retirement, our house, and possibly a large life insurance payout.
The payment was made to the hitman back in 2016. The individual received as many as 12 separate units of bitcoin, which at the time was worth approximately $5,000. By today’s terms, the bitcoins would be worth ten times that much. The criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California per federal records.
The alleged hitman is also believed by court officials to have been a scam artist that was simply looking to land a payment he hadn’t earned. While payment was offered and eventually given, the hit never actually took place.
Entering a Plea Deal
An attorney for Felkins signed a stipulation as part of her plea deal. The document reads:
Felkins admits that she used the internet, a facility in interstate and foreign commerce, to hire someone to murder [her ex-husband]. She further admits that she communicated with a representative of the group calling itself Besa Mafia with the intent of causing the murder of [her ex-husband]. Felkins also admits that she sent a representative approximately 12 bitcoins in exchange for the act of murdering [her ex-husband].
Source: https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/kristy-felkins-accused-of-paying-hitman-crypto-to-murder-her-ex-husband/