Culver City Observer -

A Beverly Hills man was sentenced

to five years behind barsthis week for

trying to hire a “hit man” to kill a woman

he briefly dated in 2020.

In June, Scott Berkett, 25, pleaded

guilty to a single count of using interstate

facilities to commit murder-forhire,

which carries a prison sentence of

up to 10 years. However, prosecutors

agreed to seek a penalty of no more

than five years, according to the plea

agreement filed in Los Angeles federal

court.

Federal prosecutors said Berkett

met the victim online, and she flew to

Los Angeles to meet him in late October

2020. Identified in court papers by

the initials R.E., the woman described

Berkett as “sexually aggressive,” and

she tried repeatedly to break off the

relationship following the trip, court papers

show.

Months later, a relative of the woman

learned that Berkett was still contacting

her and reached out to the defendant’s

father via text. Berkett responded by

saying “consider this matter closed.”

However, Berkett paid $13,000 in

Bitcoin to a shadowy internet group

to arrange the hit and an additional

$1,000 to the supposed killer, according

to court papers. The website turned

out to be a scam of sorts, and its operators

provided the defendant’s communications

and other information to

law enforcement agencies.

The supposed hit man was, in fact,

an undercover agent.

Federal prosecutors said Berkett

submitted a work order to the dark web

group, saying he’d like the murder “to

look like an accident, but robbery gone

wrong may work better.”

The undercover agent, posing as a

hit man, made contact with Berkett in

May 2021 and sent a photo of R.E.,

which Berkett confirmed was the intended

victim. During discussions with

the purported killer, Berkett demanded

a proof-of-death photo that would show

the corpse, prosecutors said.