Recently, a doctor has been sentenced to prison for trying to hire hitmen by paying $60k in Bitcoins. The Senior US District Judge on the case, Fremming Nielsen, has sentenced the doctor to 8 years in jail. He tried to hire the hitman to kidnap his wife and also beat up one of his former colleagues. This case shows that how easily Bitcoin and its transactions can be tracked if one doesn’t know how to hide the trail.
Doctor tried to hire hitmen
Apart from the 8 years in prison, The Department of Justice (DoJ) has also imposed a fine of $100,000 on the doctor alongside a $25,000 restitution fee. He will also be supervised for 3 years after his release from jail.
This incident is not something that happened in 2023. The doctor tried to hire hitmen to do his dirty work back in 2021. First, he paid around $2,000 worth of Bitcoin to break the hand of one of his former colleagues. The second target was his wife, with whom he had divorce proceedings going on. The hitmen were told to kidnap her and inject her with heroin so that she could let the divorce case slide.
The doctor not only gave these people $60k for the job but also assured them a bonus would be provided if they completed the task as instructed.
How was the doctor caught?
At first, the FBI was able to intercept his messages with the hitmen on the dark web. After the investigation began, he first lied to the authorities that he hired the hitmen so that they could kill him and not other people. However, the case had a key witness, which the doctor tried to woo so that he could control her testimony. He even tried to lure her by offering good quality education for her kids. However, that didn’t work out, and the judge of the case called out the doctor’s crime to be egregious and evil. He even stated doctors are meant to save lives, not take them.
The case showed how individuals who are violent could take advantage of crypto and the internet for their nefarious actions.
What are your thoughts as a US judge sentences a doctor to prison for trying to hire hitmen on the dark web? Let us know in the comments below. And, if you found our content informative, share it with your family and friends.
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