According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), a Tennessee National Guardsman has been charged in connection with a plot to become a hired hitman.
“Josiah Ernesto Garcia, 21, was charged yesterday in a criminal complaint with the use of interstate facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire,” according to the DOJ.
Garcia allegedly met with an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent to discuss a plot to be paid $5,000 to kill someone.
He was looking for mercenary work through a website called rentahitman.com.
The DOJ says that website was made for a cybersecurity company in 2005, but later failed.
Since then, it has been used as a parody site, collecting fake testimonials about completed hit jobs, and even has a form to apply to become a hitman.
Garcia was looking for work, and filled out that online form.
“Garcia submitted an employment inquiry indicating that he was interested in obtaining employment as a hit man,” according to the DOJ. “Garcia followed up on this initial request and submitted other identification documents and a resume, indicating he was an expert marksman and employed in the Air National Guard since July 2021. The resume also indicated that Garcia was nicknamed ‘Reaper’ which was earned from military experience and marksmanship. Garcia continued to follow up with the website administrator indicating that he wanted to go to work as soon as possible.”
The FBI got involved in the case when it became clear that Garcia was willing to become a hired gun.
An undercover FBI agent was assigned to the case, and met with Garcia who then agreed to kill a person for $5,000.
“On Wednesday, Garcia met the undercover agent at a park in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and was provided with a target packet of a fictional individual, which included photographs and other information about the individual to be killed, and a down payment of $2,500,” the DOJ said. “After agreeing to the terms of the murder arrangement, Garcia asked the agent if he needed to provide a photograph of the dead body. Garcia was then arrested by FBI agents, who in a subsequent search of his home, recovered an AR style rifle.”
According to the DOJ, Garcia faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Josiah Ernesto Garcia” by Josiah Ernesto Garcia.
