Guilty in wife-slay buy try
‘Hitman’ was FBI
The “contract killer’’ a Massachusetts man attempted to hire to murder his wife was actually an undercover FBI agent, authorities said Sunday.
Massimo Marenghi, 56, now faces up to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty Thursday to the murder-for-hire plot, the US Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts said.
The Malden man “complained about his wife seeking a restraining order against him” during a January 2021 meeting with the undercover agent, officials said.
Marenghi asked him to help “eliminate” his problem as they “discussed a price of $10,000,” the feds said.
The hubby provided the agent with a photograph of his wife’s home and detailed how to evade surveillance cameras while carrying out the crime, according to the feds.
During a second meeting, Marenghi gave the agent a $1,500 cash deposit and
urged him to carry out the killing soon, authorities said.
Marenghi told the agent that the sooner the “demolition job” occurred, the quicker he would be paid, officials said, and gave the undercover agent various details about his soon-to-be ex-wife.
He provided a photograph of his wife, the color, model and license-plate number on her car and the hours of operation of her work, the feds said.
Marenghi also provided a schedule that indicated when he would have custody of their children, which he said would be the “best time for the construction work to start,” authorities said.
In addition to prison, the charge of murder-for-hire includes three years of supervised release and a potential fine of up to $250,000.
Marenghi was arrested in January 2021 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2021. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 8.