Bitcoin For Murder: Two US Women Prosecuted In Dark Web Murder-For-Hire Cases

Kelsey Curles, 21, of South Carolina and Kristy Lynn Felkins, 37, of Nevada were convicted in federal court after attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web and paying him in Bitcoin BTC/USD.

What Happened: South Carolina news outlet The State reports that Curles pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking after attempting to hire a hitman to kill her ex and his wife on the deep web. Case files reveal that between the end of July 2021 and November 2021, Curles searched the deep web to find and hire a hitman to have her ex and his wife killed and sent numerous emails to her former lover and his wife, and posted their names and addresses on the dark web.

Soon enough she found herself unknowingly communicating with an undercover FBI agent, making a down payment to him after acquiring Bitcoin from a Bitcoin ATM. She is now facing a maximum prison sentence of five years.

See Also: WHAT IS BITCOIN?

First Scammed, Then Prosecuted: Felkins admitted to authorities that she sent the administrators of the deep web scam website promising murder-for-hire services Besa Mafia 12 BTC — worth about $5,000 when she paid in March 2016, according to a press release published by the Department of Justice.

Case files show that Felkins exchanged numerous messages with Besa Mafia's administrator. In the messages, she identified herself and provided the home address of her ex-husband and other information, such as the time he left for work, vehicle information, and locations at which he could be located. Felkin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, 2022, and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.