WISCONSIN WOMAN USED BITCOIN ON THE 'DARK WEB' IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT, FEDS SAY
A 37-year-old woman is accused of offering more than $5,000 in bitcoin on the dark web to have someone murdered, federal officials announced.
Kelly Harper was charged in federal court in Wisconsin this month with murder-for-hire. She is being held in the Dane County jail on federal charges.
The scheme was uncovered by journalists who were investigating the same murder-for-hire site on the dark web that Harper used, according to federal court paperwork. The journalists told FBI investigators about the plot and the victim.
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Between October and December, Harper allegedly talked to administrators from two murder-for-hire sites, according to court documents. In a chat on Dec. 3, 2020, Harper wrote, “The target needs to be killed, he is a white 5-foot-5 male, dark brown short hair, blue eyes, weighs 165 pounds.”
She made a payment to one of them using bitcoin, investigators alleged. In one case, a site administrator asked for proof of payment and Harper responded by sharing a screenshot of a bitcoin wallet with $5,633.87.
When the FBI searched Harper's home, they found screenshots of the dark web sites, as well as one of the pictures she sent to the administrators, according to the court paperwork.
Investigators arrested Harper last week and she faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
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