Massachusetts man pleads guilty after allegedly asking undercover federal agent to "eliminate" his wife
A Massachusetts man who tried to hire a contract killer to kill his wife after she sought a restraining order against him instead asked an undercover federal agent to do the job, authorities said.
Massimo Marenghi, 56, faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing after pleading guilty on Thursday in federal court to murder for hire, the U.S. attorney's office in Boston said.
Authorities started investigating in January 2021 when someone went to law enforcement and reported that Marenghi had complained about the restraining order and asked for assistance in killing his wife, prosecutors said.
Federal investigators directed that person to introduce Marenghi to an undercover agent posing as a contract killer.
"Marenghi met with the undercover agent and sought help to 'eliminate' his problem," federal prosecutors said.
Marenghi met with the agent in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, discussed a price of $10,000, and provided the agent with a photo of his wife's home and explained how to evade surveillance.
At a second meeting, he provided the agent with a $1,500 deposit, and explained that the sooner the "demolition job" took place, the sooner he would be able to pay the balance owed.
He also provided a photograph of his wife, a description of her car, details about her work schedule, and indicating when he would have custody of their children, which he said would be the "best time for the construction work to start."
Sentencing is scheduled for June 8.
This is the second time in two months that a man has been accused of hiring a supposed hit man to kill his wife. In January, prosecutors said a Boston man offered to pay a total of $8,000 to someone he thought was a contract killer, but who was actually an undercover federal agent, to have his estranged wife and her new boyfriend killed.
