FBI detains US soldier who applied for job on RentAHitman.com

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Apr 2023 15:12

A Tennessee air national guardsman named Josiah Garcia applied for a job on February 16 and followed up with multiple emails the following week.

A logo of the US Federal Bureau of Justice. (AP)

After a US soldier applied to be an assassin and accepted his first (false) mission, it appears that RentAHitman.com has attracted yet another would-be killer-for-hire.

A Tennessee air national guardsman named Josiah Garcia was detained after federal officials claimed he responded to an internet advertisement on a parody website.

The website was first made in 2005 to promote a cybersecurity business that never really took off. However, the affidavit states that it was frequently contacted throughout the years regarding murder-for-hire services. The site administrator eventually changed it into a parody website with phony customer reviews, a service intake form, and an application to become a hired hitman.

Garcia applied for a job on February 16 and followed up with multiple emails the following week.

According to the affidavit, he included a section titled "Why I want this Job" in one follow-up.

“I'm looking for a job, that pays well, related to my military experience (Shooting and Killing the marked target," it reads.

In early April, Garcia received contact from an undercover FBI agent posing as a "field coordinator" for the business.

Garcia informed the agent he needed money and thought he would be adept at killing people because of his military background and his superb shooting ability, as per a legal affidavit.

They discussed the alleged profession, including whether or not he would be okay with torturing people or cutting off their fingers or ears. Garcia gave a favorable response.

He also said that he was considering a career in civilian law enforcement but wanted to do something more thrilling when the agent asked him why he wanted to get involved.

On Wednesday, Garcia met the agent in a park and was given a fictitious "target package". Additionally, the agency gave Garcia $2,500, purportedly the first of two payments. He was taken into custody that day.

Garcia admitted to agents that he had not planned to carry out the contract killing after his arrest. He claimed to have recently gotten a job offer from a hospital in Nashville, which he intended to accept. He may spend up to 10 years in prison if found guilty, as per a press release from the US attorney's office for the middle district of Tennessee.