BH Man Charged In 'Hitman' Plot Denied Pretrial Release

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — A Beverly Hills man accused of trying to use the dark web to kill a woman he briefly dated was ordered held without bail Monday, pending trial.

Scott Berkett, 24, was charged with making $13,000 in Bitcoin payments to try to hire a hitman to kill a woman who rejected him romantically. He wired another $1000 to another hitman, who turned out to be an undercover FBI agent.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian granted a prosecution request to keep Berkett behind bars on the grounds that he might pose a threat to the safety of the community.

Berkett was arrested May 20 when meeting up with the undercover FBI agent.

Berkett met the woman he was allegedly trying to kill online last year, according to an affidavit from the U.S. Attorney's office. The woman traveled to meet Berkett in October, but tried repeatedly to break off the relationship due to what she called Berkett's "sexually aggressive" behavior.

In April, a family member of the woman contacted Berkett's father, and on April 20, Berkett allegedly told the woman to "consider this matter closed," according to court papers.
However, Berkett allegedly contact a dark web group advertising murder for hire services. The group, which law enforcement believe may be a scam, contacted a media outlet, which contacted the FBI, providing them with messages from Berkett and documentation of payments.

The media outlet provided information from an unnamed source on the dark web showing that Bitcoin payment were made with an understanding that an unknown individual would murder the woman, the affidavit alleges. Information was provided about the woman's identity, location, online presence, and a tattoo.

"I'd like it to look like an accident, but robbery gone wrong may work better," Berkett allegedly wrote to the dark web group on April 28. "So long as she is dead. I'd also like for her phone to be retrieved and destroyed irreparably in the process."

Between April 5 and May 5, Berkett allegedly made $13,000 in Bitcoin payments, according to information presented to the FBI.

On Thursday, an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman sent a photo of the woman to Berkett, according to the affidavit. Berkett allegedly confirmed the woman's identity, and demanded a proof-of-death photo showing her corpse and tattoo.

If convicted, Berkett could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

— City News Service and Michael Wittner contributed to this report.