Woman accused of trying to use 'rent a hitman' website to have her ex-husband killed for $5,000
A Michigan woman is behind bars after trying to hire an assassin from "rentahitman.com," which turned out to be a fake website.
Wendy Wein was arrested Friday after she visited the joke website and filled out a "Rent-A-Hitman Service Request Form" to request a consultation, according to police reports.
The website's owner, Bob Innes, reported the woman's request to the police.
According to the Monroe News, an undercover state trooper posing as an assassin arranged a meeting with Ms Wein to discuss her proposal. At the meeting, Ms Wein offered the trooper $5,000 to kill her ex-husband. She was then taken into custody.
Ms Wein was charged with solicitation to commit murder and illegal use of a computer to facilitate a crime. She's currently being held on a $500,000 bond.
The website includes fake testimonials featuring vague descriptions of problems and glowing reviews that imply the hitmen killed their targets.
"Caught my husband cheating with the babysitter and resolved after a free public relations consultation. I'm single again and looking to mingle. Thanks Guido!" one review said.
The website's fictitious owner - Guido Fanelli and Family - says the "business" has been around since 1920. Capitalisation of the word Family and the use of the name "Guido" throughout the site are clear allusions to the Mafia.
The site's actual owner, Mr Innes, claims his site is responsible for alerting law enforcement to at least 130 potential murders.
Mr Innes told WJBK News that he began the site as a school project in 2005 and - upon checking the site's associated email address three years later - found hundreds of emails requesting the site's services.
"In 2008 I go back into the inbox to check the emails and I'm shocked there are 250-300 emails from people around the world asking for asset extraction," Mr Innes said.
The website isn't subtle in its humour, though it's on-the-nose absurdism was apparently lost on Ms Wein.
"I can't believe someone would thank that a website like this exists," Michigan State Police Lieutenant Brian Oleksyk said.
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