Scott Quinn Berkett, a 25-year-old Beverly Hills resident, is said to have admitted to transmitting $13,000 in bitcoin to a hitman on the Dark Web. Berkett’s ex-girlfriend was intended to be killed by the latter.
Bitcoin on the Crime Scene
According to CBS News, the California guy met his anonymous girlfriend online in 2020, and they began dating a few months later. Shortly after, the woman attempted to quit the relationship by accusing Berkett of being “sexually aggressive.”
The man, for his part, did everything he could to keep the relationship going. The woman’s relatives became so concerned that they called Berkett and requested that he keep away from her.
The 25-year-old disobeyed the order and even hired a hitman on the Dark Web to murder the woman for $13,000 in bitcoin.
Fortunately, undercover agents discovered the crime quickly and called Berkett, posing as the hitman. The Beverly Hills resident validated some photos of the victim and even provided an additional $1,000 to the cops in order to obtain proof of the crime.
His sentencing date has been set for September 13, and he faces a maximum penalty of ten years in a federal prison.
Dark Web and Crypto
Critics of the asset class frequently claim that digital assets can be used to facilitate criminal activity. In recent years, there have been a number of examples of similar transactions.
Last summer, Indian police arrested Makarand Pardeep Adivirkar (also known as the “Crypto King”) on suspicion of using bitcoin to buy narcotics on the Dark Web. Prosecutors claim that the criminal purchased drugs from both Indian and European dealers:
“In November 2020, a team of NCB Mumbai had seized 20 LSD blots from Kharodi Village in Malad. The seized psychotropic substance was purchased from Europe by using bitcoin.”
COVID-19 vaccines were in high demand during that summer because, in addition to protecting people from the sickness, they also allowed them to travel. As a result, some less-developed countries struggled to provide immunizations to all of their citizens.
Outlaws on the dark web took advantage of the situation and began selling bogus certificates and stolen doses. Ten shots of the AstraZeneca medication cost $250 in bitcoin, with Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Monero being the most popular digital assets among the dealers (XMR).
The US Department of Justice seized $34 million in bitcoins linked to illegal Dark Net activity in April of this year. The money was recovered from a Florida individual who sold more than 100,000 unlawful items on the platform’s marketplaces.
DISCLAIMER: The Information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing.
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