Nevada Woman Who Used Bitcoin For Hiring Hitman To Kill Husband Receives 5-Year Prison Sentence

A Nevada woman, Kristy Lynn Felkins, has been sentenced to five years in prison after confessing to hiring a hitman through the internet with $5,000 worth of Bitcoin BTC/USD. 

What Happened: Her plan was to eliminate her ex-husband while making it appear as an accident. Felkins, aged 38 and residing in Fallon, Nevada, entered a guilty plea in March as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors, thus avoiding a trial, Associated Press reported.

The sentencing, which took place at a U.S. District Court in California, also ordered Felkins to undergo three years of supervision upon her release from prison.

According to court records, Felkins initiated communication with an individual on a dark web hitman website in 2016. The website, falsely claiming to provide murder-for-hire services, promised to orchestrate the killing of her ex-husband while he was traveling in Chico, California.

Authorities have since revealed that the dark web platform was a scam designed to swindle unsuspecting customers, taking their money without providing any actual services.

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Why It Matters: In her statement, which acknowledged her guilt and was included in the court records as part of her plea agreement, Felkins confessed to offering an additional $4,000 to expedite the timeline of the murder plot in March 2016. 

Furthermore, she admitted expressing indifference towards any harm that may befall her ex-husband’s new girlfriend during the execution of the murder.

Felkins allegedly anticipated a substantial life insurance payout following her ex-husband’s demise and specifically requested that the staged accident be mistaken for a mugging gone wrong.

While Felkins has been out of custody, she is now required to surrender in September to commence serving her prison term.

Price Action: At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $29,107, down 2.39% in the last 24 hours, according to Benzinga Pro.

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