In a case raising concerns about the psychological well-being of adoptive parents and online anonymity facilitating criminal activity, Christopher Pence, a former Microsoft engineer, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday. Pence pleaded guilty to soliciting and paying for the murders of the biological parents of his adopted children.
Court documents and public statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York detail a chilling sequence of events. In July and August of 2021, Pence allegedly accessed a dark web marketplace known for offering illicit services. There, he sought a hitman to eliminate “a couple targets, husband and wife” residing in Hoosick Falls, New York.
Pence was arrested on October 27, 2021, by the FBI after they received a copy of his online request. He had provided the names, addresses, and photos of the intended victims and requested that the assassination be disguised as an accident. Subsequently, he transferred $16,000 worth of Bitcoin to the contact, believed to be operating the hitman service.
The plot unraveled when Pence reportedly had a change of heart. However, he neither contacted the intended victims nor attempted to recover the cryptocurrency. This inaction triggered an investigation by the FBI National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force.
The FBI National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force retrieved information from the cryptocurrency trading platform through which the transfer of cryptoassets was carried out. From the platform, investigators obtained a copy of Pence’s driver’s license and the IP addresses from which the account’s transactions had been carried out. According to The Register, 66 of the 67 operations were linked to Pence’s home or personal smartphone.
Pence, 43, admitted one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire plot and was sentenced to 84 months in prison by Judge David Norman Hurd in the District Court for the Northern District of New York.
Following his arrest, Pence admitted his crime to investigators. When asked if he wanted anything from the house before being taken away, he reportedly answered, “I’d like a time machine if you have it. The intended victims, residents of Hoosick Falls, a village near Albany, have had their identities protected throughout the federal investigation and Pence’s criminal trial.
In addition to the seven-year sentence, U.S. District Judge David Hurd recommended that Pence serve a three-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.
The couple reportedly recognized some of the photographs Pence had sent to the apparent killer as being taken for commemorative “baby books” exchanged between the two families. This case has undoubtedly been a distressing experience for them, but their current feelings or reactions are not publicly available.
One thing that we must understand is that activities on the dark web are not completely anonymous. Law enforcement agencies around the world have sophisticated tools and techniques to track illegal activities on the dark web. Attempting to hire a hitman on the dark web, as in the case of the former Microsoft engineer, is not only illegal but also highly traceable.
Misunderstanding the level of anonymity provided by the dark web and Bitcoin can lead to serious legal consequences, as demonstrated by the recent case. Always remember, the rule of law applies online just as it does offline.
