Woman paid $10K in bitcoin on ‘dark web’ in murder-for-hire plot: prosecutors

A northwest suburban woman is charged with paying a “dark-web company” more than $10,000 in bitcoin to hire someone to kill the wife of a man she had an affair with.

Tina Jones, 31, has been charged with a felony count of solicitation of murder for hire, according to a statement from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. Judge George Bakalis set her bail at $250,000 during a hearing Wednesday morning.

Jones, who lives in Des Plaines, made the payment in January in an attempt to have the Woodridge woman murdered, prosecutors said. Woodridge police received a tip about the murder-for-hire plot on April 12 and began investigating.

Jones turned herself in to authorities on Tuesday, the state’s attorney’s office said. If she is able to post 10 percent of her bail, she will be required to hand over her passport and will be prohibited from having any contact with the victim or her family.

“In recent years, law enforcement has seen a dramatic increase in the use of the dark web as it relates to criminal activity,” Woodridge Police Chief Brian Cunningham said in the statement. “This case is a great example of how increased training, shared resources and interagency cooperation helped protect one of our residents.”

Jones’ next court date is scheduled for May 15.