R.I. MAN CHARGED WITH TRYING TO HIRE HITMAN TO KILL TWO

Providence — A Rhode Island man tried to hire a hitman to torture and kill two men, including a contractor he said owed him $8,500, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Agustin Vinas, 51, of Providence was held without bail at an initial court appearance last week, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Rhode Island.

Authorities started investigating after Vinas had a meeting with an acquaintance and mentioned that he was owed the money by a person who had threatened to harm his family if he did not stop his repeated requests for payment, according to an FBI affidavit.

Vinas had completed a construction job for the contractor a year ago, according to the FBI.

He also said he was looking for someone to kill the contractor and one of the contractor’s employees.

The acquaintance told Vinas that he might know of someone interested, but instead informed the FBI, according to court documents.

The next day, while under FBI surveillance, the two met again. In a recorded conversation, Vinas offered to pay $3,000 for the killings, explained that he would like to have the victims tortured first, and offered to pay an additional $500 to make the bodies “disappear.”

In a third meeting, Vinas was introduced to a “hitman” who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. Vinas agreed to provide a deposit for the killings, according to prosecutors.

At a subsequent meeting, Vinas was asked if he was certain he wanted the killings committed, and said “I am 100% sure,” according to court documents.

Vinas was arrested Friday on a charge of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire, prosecutors said.