The U.S. Division of Justice introduced Tuesday {that a} Mississippi girl was sentenced to spend a most of 10 years behind bars for her position in an unsuccessful murder-for-hire plot.
Forty-year outdated Jessica Leeann Sledge pled responsible in February to hiring a purported murderer on the darkish internet and paying him in Bitcoin to kill her now ex-husband in Mississippi.
Decide Carlton Reeves of the U.S. District Court docket sentenced Sledge to 120 months in federal jail, adopted by three years of supervised probation and a $1,000 high-quality.
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Sledge declined to talk at her sentencing, allowing her written assertion to the court docket to face and letting her lawyer to talk on her behalf.
John M. Colette, her protection legal professional, said that his consumer was a “first-time offender” with “zero chance of recidivism.” He requested the court docket to think about a jail time period of round 5 years.
Pelahatchie Girl Pleads Responsible in Homicide-for-Rent Plot: Jessica Leeann Sledge of Pelahatchie pleaded responsible to utilizing interstate commerce amenities within the fee of a murder-for-hire. https://t.co/yBTShaqlhv
— FBI Jackson (@FBIJackson) February 9, 2022
Sledge admitted in court docket that between September and November of final 12 months, she contacted a hitman over Whatsapp in an try to eradicate her partner.
Oops: Purported ‘Killer’ Turns Out To Be FBI Agent
A Federal Bureau of Investigation particular agent, in response to prosecutors, was the “hitman” she paid to perpetrate the assassination.
She scheduled a face-to-face assembly with the “killer” on November 1, 2021, in Brandon, Mississippi, to ship an extra fee and particulars about her meant goal.
Bitcoin funds totaling roughly $10,000 have been made by Sledge for the homicide of “Sufferer 1” on October 4, October 9, and October 10, 2021, in response to writer
Between October 22 and October 26, Sledge supplied the FBI agent with specific particulars about her husband. Primarily based on court docket paperwork, this contained varied photos of her partner in addition to images of the automobiles he usually drove, together with the license plate numbers.
Investigations have indicated that the meant goal remained unhurt. Sledge waived her rights and revealed her involvement within the murder-for-hire scheme after her arrest.
Jessica Leeann Sledge. Picture: MCSO
Not The First Time Bitcoin Is Used To Rent Hitmen
Sledge’s case just isn’t the primary involving using cryptocurrency to pay gun-for-hires.
Federal prosecutors stated in June {that a} Beverly Hills man admitted utilizing Bitcoin to try to rent a hitman to homicide his ex-girlfriend after she needed to cease their quick affair.
The US Legal professional’s Workplace for the Central District of California stated on the time that Scott Berkett, 25, pleaded responsible to the murder-for-hire scheme through which he paid about $13,000 in Bitcoin for the girl’s loss of life.
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Kristy Lynn Felkins Photograph: DOJ
One other girl has additionally admitted guilt to federal prices of hiring a hitman in March this 12 months to homicide her ex-husband utilizing cryptocurrencies.
The Division of Justice said that Kristy Lynn Felkins, 37, faces 10 years in jail after pleading responsible to utilizing interstate commerce amenities to commit the murder-for-hire plot.
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