A U.S. citizen living in Mississippi was put on trial for attempting to kill her ex-husband through a contract killer. The fact that she paid for the lethal service with bitcoins drew the world's attention.

Now 40-year-old Jessica Leanne Sledge is already in prison, and the day before the court ordered her to serve 10 years. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement officials learned of the assassination attempt back in the winter. At the time, Sludge was actively communicating with the alleged assassin via darknet. After some time, she wired him an advance in bitcoins. The woman had previously had experience in owning her first cryptocurrency and made several $10,000 transfers in BTC a year ago.

Fortunately, the American woman failed to carry out her plan. The FBI agent was hiding under the guise of a killer, who was able to get all the information about the alleged victim through correspondence. He was also able to gather a complete evidence base on Sledge and provide it to the leadership.

This isn't the first time digital currency has been used to pay for this kind of service. In 2020, a Nevada resident also tried to pay for her spouse's murder with the first cryptocurrency.