Yerevan (CoinChapter.com) — A man in Tennessee faces murder charges for attempting to hire a hitman on Coinbase to murder his wife.
The FBI Cyber Task Force received a tip-off from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) about a possible murder plot. The target of the crime was Knoxville resident Ann Replogle. Upon getting the information about the threat to Anne’s life, FBI Knoxville advised the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to visit the relevant address and check on the alleged target.
Police Begin Investigation
The law enforcement agents who visited the given address met with Ann Replogle and her husband, Nelson Paul Replogle. However, unsuspecting, Anne could not think of anyone who would want to see her dead. Her husband also feigned ignorance of the planned murder.
Diving deep into the matter, the FBI was able to procure more information from the BBC, further hinting that the media channel was looking into Coinbase records. They secured details about the date and time of the planned assassination. The attempt on her life was to take place during Ann’s scheduled visit to a veterinarian’s clinic with her pet dog. The client had also provided the details of the make, model, and color of her vehicle.
The hitman received the payment for the murder in Bitcoin, according to the police. The FBI later linked the Bitcoin account used to make the payment to CoinBase.
CoinBase is a US-based bitcoin-focused company that operates a wallet, a cryptocurrency exchange, an over-the-counter trading, and a digital asset custodian service.
Meanwhile, the police also identified the IP address associated with the transaction.
Another Bitcoin Crime
The shady transaction originated from a personal savings account that belonged to Nelson Paul Replogle, the victim’s husband. The arrest warrant issued for Replogle described his offense as “murder for hire.” It is in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 158.
Misuse of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is common among people who don’t understand the traceability of blockchain technology.
Meanwhile, the FBI has still been unable to identify the hitman that Replogle hoped to hire for the job.
Yerevan-based Editor and writer focusing on topics about politics and international relations. Having completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, he currently works as a Projects Coordinator at Indo-Armenian Friendship NGO and the Indian Cultural Centre, Armenia. He regularly writes articles for Armenian media platforms and is the English language Editor of Keghart, a reputed Armenian Diaspora news platform based in Canada. As a young activist, he was awarded "The Best Active Youth International Award" by the Afghanistan Youth Parliament. He is also the Media in charge of the Youth Wing of Bright Armenia Party, the third-largest political party in the Armenian Parliament.
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