MADISON, Wis. — A Columbus woman faces federal charges for trying to hire someone off the internet to commit a murder.
Kelly Harper, 37, was arrested on Friday.
A federal complaint indicates she visited a murder-for-hire website on the dark web between October and December 2020. The complaint alleges that Harper provided the description of the victim and shared information about that person’s vehicle and workplace. Harper also reportedly provided the would-be victim’s cell phone number. A payment for the transaction was made in bitcoin, the complaint said.
Harper is in custody in the Dane County Jail. A time for her initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison has not been set.
If convicted, Harper faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
The charge against Harper is the result of an investigation by the Sun Prairie Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI’s Money Laundering, Forfeiture and Bank Fraud Unit.
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