New York Woman Accused of Trying to Hire Hitman on Dark Web to Murder Her Lover's Wife: Authorities
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A woman living in New York who allegedly tried to order a hit on her lover's wife and daughter has been held by the authorities, the US Attorney's Office states.
Yue Zhou was taken into custody by authorities on June 5, 2024, from the Eastern District of Virginia for attempting to kill a woman and her daughter, the United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York stated.
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From March 25, 2019, to April 4, 2019, Zhou attempted to hire a hitman from a murder-for-hire website on the dark web, as per the United States Attorney's Office. Her target allegedly was her then-boyfriend's wife.
Using an alias, Zhou allegedly utilized a Bitcoin exchange service in Ukraine to make a $5,000 payment in Bitcoin to pay for the murder to the website. She seemingly provided $5,000 in cash to a middleman and then asked the website's administrator to confirm the payment.
The District Attorney's Office stated that Zhou allegedly sent a description of the target. She also sent the website the best times to murder the target so that her boyfriend could have an alibi. Later on, she allegedly added her boyfriend's daughter as a target.
During these dealings, Zhou reportedly was unaware that the website was a scam, and in truth, there was no hitman for hire.
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On learning that she had been scammed, Zhou allegedly sent disturbing and threatening messages to the site's administrator, The New York Post reported.
"As alleged, the defendant took affirmative steps to hire a hit man to carry out the ruthless killing of the wife of her romantic partner," stated United States Attorney, Breon Peace.
"Her depraved plan was only thwarted because the website she used to set up the murder-for-hire was a scam. Although the scheme involved newer technologies like the Internet and Bitcoin, the end result would have been age-old cold-blooded murder," said Peace.
In 2021, Zhou messaged the neighbor of her boyfriend's daughter with the proposition of killing, the United States Attorney's Office stated. She allegedly offered the neighbor $10,000 and sexual favors if he managed to kill the daughter.
It is unclear how authorities came to know of Zhou's alleged schemes, The New York Post reported. Zhou had worked in spas which are suspected of being involved in prostitution.
"Yue Zhou is accused of offering cryptocurrency, cash, and even sexual favors during her discussions related to having her then-partner’s spouse and adult daughter killed. Little did she know, the website she allegedly thought she was using to solicit a hitman was a farce, and the crimes of which she is accused soon caught up to her," stated Arvelo, HSI New York Special Agent.
"I commend HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force Cyber Division, Customs and Border Protection, the New York Police Department, and the Eastern District of New York for their unwavering commitment to utilizing their state-of-the-art methods to secure justice on behalf of New Yorkers," said Arvelo.
Zhou does not have permanent legal status in the U.S., The New York Post reported. If convicted, she faces 12 years in prison and, also the possibility of deportation.