Expectant Father Applied to Be Assassin at RentAHitman.com to Make Extra Money. Here's What Happened Next.
He sent in a very genuine application.
Many Americans are embracing the side hustle as an aspect of modern life, but one expectant father in Tennessee got a bit more creative in the pursuit of extra money than most: He applied to be an assassin at the website RentAHitman.com. The site is a fake, and its owner uses it to tip off law enforcement about potential murders for hire. But authorities say 21-year-old Josiah Garcia sent in a very genuine application, and soon the FBI was knocking on his door. Read on to find out what happened after that.
Man Faces 10-Year Sentence
Last Wednesday, FBI agents arrested Garcia in a Hendersonville, Tennessee, park. The next day, he was charged in the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee with using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire. He faces a ten-year jail sentence if convicted, prosecutors said in a statement.
"Garcia needed money to support his family and in mid-February began searching online for contract mercenary jobs and came across the website www.rentahitman.com," the statement said. "Garcia submitted an employment inquiry indicating that he was interested in obtaining employment as a hit man."
He Gave His Name, Email Address, and Phone Number
On Feb. 16, Garcia sent a message to the site asking about employment, highlighting his "military experience, and rifle experience" while requesting an "in depth job description," the FBI said in a sworn affidavit. He allegedly gave his name, email address, and phone number to who he thought was Guido Fanelli, the fictional company's CEO (but was actually the site's owner, Bob Innes).
Two days later, Innes asked Garcia to send his résumé, photos, and driver's license. On his résumé, Garcia listed service in the Air National Guard since July 2021 and claimed to have earned the award "Marksman Expert … for not missing a single bullseye on all of the targets and for shooting expert with 2 (or more) weapons," the affidavit states. He noted he had been given the nickname "Reaper."
"Put Me In, Coach!"
On Feb. 20, Garcia sent another email telling Innes why he wanted to become a professional hit man, according to the affidavit: "Im looking for a job, that pays well, related to my military experience (Shooting and Killing the marked target) so I can support my kid on the way. What can I say, I enjoy doing what I do, so if I can find a job that is similar to it, (such as this one) put me in coach!"
He checked in twice more over the next month. Finally, Innes—responding as Fanelli—told Garcia that a "field coordinator" would be in touch.
Agent Tries To Dissuade Him
On April 3, an undercover FBI agent texted the cellphone number that Garcia had sent to RentAHitman, the affidavit says. The agent said he was a recruiter for the company and that they could schedule a phone interview. On April 5, the agent called Garcia, and the next day, they met in a restaurant in Nashville, where the agent said he was free to walk away. "You are locked in? This is what you want? Because it sounds like you have a lot going on," the agent said, according to the affidavit.
The agent continued, "You're in the military. You've got college. You've got a lot going on, as far as good things in your life to kinda get in this world. It is a shady world, and I just don't want you to have regrets if you come to work for us, because it, I mean it messes with your mind, shooting people." Garcia told the agent he had considered the potential psychological effects and was OK with that.
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The Arrest
On April 9, Garcia met the agent in a nearby park to receive his first assignment for $5,000, the affidavit says. He was given information on a fictional target and a $2,500 deposit; the agent told Garcia they would meet after the killing was completed and he would get the rest.
Garcia agreed, and the FBI arrested him. In an interview, agents said Garcia claimed he'd been looking for work because his family couldn't afford rent, and that he'd gotten a job that was supposed to start training on April 7. He said he had planned to meet up with the agent to turn down the position, the affidavit says.
