INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman tried to hire someone to kill the man she says scammed her, according to federal investigators. But that “hit man” was actually an undercover FBI agent.

A tipster called the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in May saying Tisha Dawn Raines had solicited a hit man to murder the scammer, who she believed lived in another state. Deputies immediately forwarded the information to the FBI since it crossed state lines.

The FBI set up a meeting between Raines and an undercover agent posing as a hit man willing to take on the job. Agents say Raines told them the man was in the military and had scammed her out of some money. Agents say she was willing to pay $5,000 for the job and handed the undercover agent nearly 28 grams of methamphetamine as a down payment.

The man she wanted killed was actually a victim, himself. The scam artist who targeted Raines had stolen that man’s identity then used it to create fake online profiles to scam women.

That identify theft victim agreed to stage his own death in order to make it look like the undercover agent had gone through with the hit job. Agents took pictures of a staged murder scene and sent them to Raines, but she said she didn’t know who the man in the photos was.

Raines is being held in Marion County Jail. At this time, no trial date has been set.

Source: WTHR