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.
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