Federal prosecutors accused a New York-based foreign woman of offering money and sex to her boyfriend in a plot to kill his wife and adult daughter.
Yue Zhou, 42, of Flushing, Queens, appeared before U.S. District Judge Robert M. Levy in Brooklyn federal court on a charge of contract murder. according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York;
Zhou signed a contract with a Ukrainian bitcoin exchange service and received $5,000 in bitcoin. [a] Prosecutors alleged the transactions were made on a “Hitman” website and routed through a Brooklyn intermediary. Court DocumentsZhou also said, [her lover’s wife]Home, work schedule, best times for your target, etc. [her]Therefore, among others, [her lover] “There must be an alibi for murder” The transactions are alleged to have taken place between March 25, 2019 and April 4, 2019.
Court documents said the website was a “third-party run scam” and did not actually hire hit men. Prosecutors say Zhou only became suspicious after completing the transactions. She then allegedly threatened physical and sexual violence against the fake website's administrator and his family. (RELATED: Exclusive: Illegal immigrant mother arrested for trying to hire hitman released from ICE custody years ago)
Special agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations reportedly confirmed the cryptocurrency transactions.
Queens woman charged with ordering the murder of her boyfriend's wife using a dark web hit man website https://t.co/4voo0gzqYD (Announced translation: )
— U.S. Attorney EDNY (@EDNYnews) July 8, 2024
Prosecutors allege Zhou also sought to add his girlfriend's adult daughter from a previous marriage as a secondary target in the plot using a fake hit man website. In December 2019, Zhou allegedly messaged her daughter, saying: “Warning: If you still haven't taken responsibility, I will cut your body into 100 pieces.” [sic] “I know where you live. I watch you all the time.”
Prosecutors further alleged that Zhou contacted his lover's daughter's neighbor in February 2021 and offered $10,000 and sex to convince him to kill his lover's daughter and dump her body in a lake.
Prosecutors told the court that Zhou engaged in prostitution at spas in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 2020 and 2021 and at one point solicited the murder of his mistress' daughter. Zhou was allegedly linked to several similar spas across the United States, including in Maryland and Virginia.
Authorities reportedly arrested Zhou at a spa in Virginia on June 5 and extradited him to the Eastern District of New York on July 3.
Prosecutors argued that Zhou, who “does not have permanent residency” in the United States, is a flight risk. Although he has no criminal record in the United States, his involvement in a “despicable plot” to kill his lover's wife and daughter “speaks volumes about his character,” prosecutors said.
If convicted, Zhou faces lengthy prison terms and deportation from the United States, according to court documents.
