Global Courant 2023-04-17 14:53:12
A Tennessee Air National Guardsman was arrested on federal charges after signing up as a hit man on a parody website.
Josiah Ernesto Garcia, 21, was charged Thursday with using interstate facilities in committing murder-for-hire for using the bogus hitman website Rentahitman.com. He was captured after meeting with an undercover FBI agent to broker a deal to kill someone for money, U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis announced in a press release.
Garcia found the website in February when he needed money to support his family and began searching online for leases, according to the press release. He then submitted an employment inquiry form stating his interest in getting a job as a hit man.
A Tennessee Air National Guardsman was arrested on federal charges after signing up as a hit man on a parody website. (Facebook/Josiah Garcia)
He followed up on his initial request and submitted other identification documents, a portrait photo and a resume to prove he was an experienced marksman and had been enlisted in the Air National Guard since July 2021. Garcia’s resume indicated that he was nicknamed “Reaper,” which he earned through military experience and marksmanship, and that he was an expert marksman “awarded for not missing a single bullseye on all targets and for shooting 2 (or more) weapons.”
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Garcia continued to contact the website administrator, stating that he was willing to get to work as soon as possible.
“I’m looking for a job that pays well, related to my military experience (shooting and killing the marked target) so I can support my child along the way,” Garcia said in a follow-up email, according to an indictment. “What can I say, I like doing what I do, so if I can find a job similar to it (like this one) put me on the coach!”
Josiah Ernesto Garcia found the parody website in February when he needed money to support his family and started searching online for leases. (Facebook/Josiah Garcia)
The website’s owner, Bob Innes, responded to Garcia at the request of the FBI.
“Josiah, a field coordinator will be in touch in the near future. You will be notified when they are ready. Timing is based on client needs,” Innes wrote.
An undercover FBI agent then began talking to Garcia, who agreed to kill a person for $5,000.
Garcia met the undercover cop at a park in Hendersonville, Tennessee, on Wednesday and received a target package from a fictitious person. The package contained photos, other information about the person he was supposed to kill, and a $2,500 deposit.
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He agreed to the terms of the murder settlement before asking the FBI agent if he should take a photo of the dead body as evidence. Garcia was subsequently arrested by FBI agents. Officers later searched his home and found an AR-style rifle.
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Garcia could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Rentahitman.com was originally founded in 2005 by four friends who were trying to create a cybersecurity start-up company. The company ultimately failed, but over the course of the next decade it received many inquiries about hitmen. The website administrator then turned the website into a parody website with fake testimonials from people claiming to use hitman services. The website features an intake form where people can request services and an opportunity for someone to apply as a hit man.
