Dark Web Bitcoin Murder Plot Lands Nevada Woman in Prison

A 38-year-old Nevada woman, Kristy Lynn Felkins, has been sentenced to five years in prison after attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web using Bitcoin to murder her ex-husband.

The guilty plea, made in March, involved the use of "interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire," according to the U.S. Department of Justice, with a maximum sentence of 10 years.

In 2016, Felkins transferred 12 Bitcoin, valued at $5,000 at the time, to a website called Besa Mafia, operating on the Tor network, which claimed to offer murder-for-hire services.

Now, the Bitcoin she sent would be worth nearly $360,000.

Over a period of four months that year, she engaged in exchanges with the website's administrator, providing specific details about her ex-husband's whereabouts, including his home address, vehicle, and daily routine.

Felkins had wanted her ex-husband's death to appear accidental, but she did not agree to a $4,000 upcharge.

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The website's administrator assured her that a hitman had been assigned and that her husband would be eliminated within a week.

However, no murder took place as Besa Mafia turned out to be a scam, and Felkins was never refunded the Bitcoin she sent to the site.

In 2016, Felkins had disclosed to the Besa Mafia administrator that she stood to gain financially from her ex-husband's death, citing potential retirement benefits, their house, and a substantial life insurance payout.

Despite her past intentions, Felkins expressed gratitude during her sentencing that the individual she communicated with was a scam artist and that no harm befell her ex-husband.

The Justice Department did not disclose how it became aware of Felkins' actions.