A former Microsoft internet security engineer from Cedar City, Utah, was sentenced to seven years in prison for attempting to orchestrate a murder-for-hire plot against a New York couple via the dark web over a custody dispute. The plot, funded with $16,000 in Bitcoin, was uncovered by the FBI following a tip, highlighting the intersection of modern technology and crime, as well as the efficiency of law enforcement in preventing harm.
Key Insights
- 43-year-old, Christopher Pence was sentenced to 84 months in prison.
- The sentencing occurred in federal court in Utica for planning a murder-for-hire crime against a couple from Rensselaer County, Hoosick Falls.
- Pence paid $16,000 in Bitcoin into a crypto wallet to a supposed hitman on the dark web in July and August 2021.
- He provided the hitman with the victims’ names, addresses, and photos, and detailed how the murder should look like an accident or a botched robbery.
- Pence wanted to ensure that no harm came to the children living with the targeted couple.
- The investigation leading to Pence’s arrest was initiated after a tip from a confidential source.
- The darknet website used by Pence for the transaction is believed to be a scam operation.
- Pence pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to hire a hitman for murder using the dark web.
- The intended victims were unharmed, thanks to an anonymous tip that led to Pence’s arrest in Utah in October 2021.
- Pence had been in federal custody since his arrest and faced a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus up to three years of supervised release, but received only an 84-month sentence.
In Utica, N.Y., a Utah man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after attempting to plan a murder-for-hire plot against an Upstate New York couple, by making use of the darknet, based on a personal dispute.
Sentenced for Murder-for-Hire Plot
Christopher Pence who was a Microsoft internet security engineer at the age of 43, was from Cedar City, Utah, and was recently given an 84-month prison sentence on Thursday in federal court in Utica for his plan to undergo a murder-for-hire crime against a couple from Rensselaer County, Hoosick Falls.
The main federal prosecutors for this case, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York had stated that Pence went ahead and paid a large sum of money into a crypto wallet, amounting to $16,000 in Bitcoin, to a supposed hitman on the dark web, to go ahead with the plan to murder the couple, back in July and August 2021.
He provided detailed information to the hired hitman, which included the victim’s names, addresses, and photos of the victims. Pence planned for the murder-for-hire in detail. The original request by Pence was for the murders to look as if it was either an accident or a botched robbery, with specific instructions to make sure no harm came to the children that were living with the couple.
Custody Battle Motives Behind Murder Plot
The investigation, which ended up leading to Pence’s arrest was initiated following a tip-off from a confidential source. FBI investigators later showed that the website used by Pence for this underground transaction is believed to be a scam operation.
Pence’s reasons for the murder-to-hire plot were linked to a deeply personal conflict, which showed that he and his wife had adopted five children from the intended victims; A custody fight began when the biological parents wanted to regain custody of their children. Pence stated that there was concern for the children’s safety, which then grew after discovering the biological father of the five children had been previously investigated for suspected child abuse by the Department of Children and Families in Massachusetts.
The charges of attempting to hire a hitman for murder using the dark web were made against Pence, to which he then pleaded guilty. This plea showed how disturbing the plot was, to eliminate the Hoosick Falls couple after an “escalating dispute” over the custody and upbringing of several children. The dispute also highlighted other disagreements over personal choices and lifestyle between Pence and the intended victims.
Fortunately, the intended victims came out of this unharmed, saved by an anonymous tip that led to Pence’s arrest in Utah in October 2021.
Justice Served with Efficiency of Law Enforcement
Since his arrest, Pence had been spending his time in federal custody. Apart from the fact the he was facing a potential maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with up to three years of supervised release, shockingly, Pence only received a sentence of 84 months.
This case shows how the underground marketplace of internet use and the lengths to which individuals may go when motivated by personal vendettas, all while showing the effectiveness and swift work of law enforcement’s response to such modern criminal methodologies.
Hey there, I’m a dark web geek who’s been around for the last 8 years. More precisely, I’m livedarknet’s senior content writer who’s been writing about darknet marketplaces, tutorials, and cybersecurity stuff for educational purposes.