Kelly Harper was charged in the Western District of Wisconsin on Monday for allegedly paying a murder-for-hire website administrator in bitcoin.
Journalists discovered messages between a user and the site’s administrator after an investigation on the dark web, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The complaint alleges that Harper provided the description of the victim and shared information about that person’s vehicle and workplace. A payment for the transaction was made in bitcoin, the complaint said. #Fox47Madison https://t.co/noHBeZxZ3q
— FOX 47 Madison (@fox47madison) February 9, 2021
In messages from Dec. 3, Harper reportedly detailed the target’s physical appearance, vehicle information, workplace and cellphone number. When asked by the administrator how she could pay, Harper allegedly responded with a screenshot of a bitcoin wallet with $5,633.87. (RELATED: Police In Germany Confiscate $60 Million Of Bitcoin But Don’t Have Password To Unlock It)
The journalists were also able to find evidence of a bitcoin transfer to a different murder-for-hire website from October, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The FBI was reportedly able to identify the person sending the messages as Harper through a search warrant. The FBI was also able to arrest Harper before the target could be killed, according to the Journal Sentinel.
The FBI found screenshots of the website and a picture she sent to the administrator on her computer, the Journal Sentinel further reported. When interviewed by FBI agents, Harper reportedly admitted to paying in bitcoin to have the man killed.
Harper could face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.