Georgia man offered assassin basketball tickets to kill his ex-wife, feds say

A Georgia man was formally arraigned on charges of attempting to use U.S. mail and telephone communications to hire an assassin to murder his ex-wife from jail in Bartow County, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The payment he allegedly offered? $10,000 and two tickets to an Atlanta Hawks basketball game.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Michael McEarchern, 29, of Acworth, was arrested for drug charges in October of 2016. While in jail, he began speaking with people about ways he could arrange the murder of his ex-wife, who lived in Cobb County, officials say.

Eventually, one of the people he asked told another friend, and that friend told the authorities. The FBI waited for McEarchern to reach out to an informant, which he did, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

McEarchern allegedly offered to give the would-be assassin $10,000 in cash and two tickets to an Atlanta Hawks game as payment. He also mailed $800 cash to the would-be assassin to show he was serious, the office said, and provided an individual with an address to mail the money to. Officials say he also provided the address of his ex-wife. The FBI intercepted the letter.

“This defendant’s alleged actions indicate that he was serious about having his ex-wife murdered,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “By providing an address and up-front money for the would-be assassin, McEarchern left little doubt that if the threat had not been discovered he may have found someone to carry out the heinous deed."

McEarchern was formally indicted by a federal grand jury on January 2, 2018. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim S. Dammers is prosecuting the case.

“This case is another example of the lengths the FBI will go, to protect the citizens of this country,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The arrest demonstrates how law enforcement, working together with concerned citizens, can hold criminals accountable and prevent violence from happening in our communities.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2018 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Georgia man offered assassin basketball tickets to kill his ex-wife, feds say."