Court sentences American woman to prison for paying for her husband’s murder with Bitcoin

A court in California sentenced 38-year-old Christi Lynn Felkins for attempting to hire a hit on her ex-husband. As reported on the U.S. Department of Justice website.

In 2016 the woman found a site on the dark web offering the services of hired killers. From February to May, she informed the administrator of the man’s exact whereabouts, his address, his car, and the time he left for work.

Authorities noted that Felkins wanted the murder to look like an ‘accident’, but she did not agree to the extra payment of $4,000. After sending 12 BTC ($5,000 at the time), the administrator said that ‘a killer had been assigned and her husband would disappear within a week’.

However the murder did not occur, and the site turned out to be a scam. Felkins pleaded guilty. Her husband called the divorce amicable and his ex-wife a wonderful mother. Nevertheless he sought a ‘substantial sentence’ for her.

Felkins received five years in prison.

In February 2021, U.S. authorities arrested the 37-year-old Wisconsin woman on charges of attempting to arrange a contract killing. Journalists learned of the planned crime — they found evidence of a Bitcoin transaction.

In May of that year, law enforcement tracked down the American man who paid for his wife’s murder with Bitcoin via Coinbase.