A doctor from Spokane, USA, hired multiple hitmen in the darknet under the name Scar215 to achieve his personal goals. Ronald Craig Ilg, a 56-year-old pediatrician, used the pseudonym Scar215 in the darknet and paid over $60,000 in Bitcoin to hire hitmen, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
In March and April 2021, Ilg contacted the operators of three darknet sites for contract killings, seeking a criminal to kidnap and sedate his estranged wife. He wanted them to force her to drop the ongoing divorce proceedings and return to him. Ilg planned to have his wife abducted for seven days and injected with heroin at least twice daily. He expressed his anger towards her for destroying two families without consequences.
Ilg provided the hitmen with a list of goals to achieve during the kidnapping, offering additional bonuses as rewards for each accomplished target. He intended to pay $10,000 extra if his wife withdrew all legal motions and agreements. If she returned to him and agreed to consensual sex at least three times within two weeks, he would pay the same amount. Ilg also promised an additional $10,000 if the abduction remained secret.
Furthermore, he offered $5,000 for photos and videos showing his partner being injected with heroin. Ilg wanted the hitmen to distribute drugs, used needles, and the wife's DNA in her house, aiming to ruin her health and reputation completely.
Ilg instructed the hired criminals to use any means necessary to achieve his goals, including threatening to beat the victim's father, killing her dog, and making her eldest son addicted to heroin. In total, the doctor spent over $60,000 on the plot against his ex-wife.
However, Ilg's careless actions led to his exposure. He transferred the bitcoins from Coinbase to the hitmen's wallets without properly hiding his identity. Upon request, Coinbase provided the FBI with information linking the funds to Ilg's phone number, email address, and social security number. Coinbase, being subject to KYC regulations, requires users to go through an identity verification process.
During the investigation, the FBI executed a search warrant on April 11, finding a locked safe containing a note with the passwords for all the darknet contract killing sites, which was another major mistake made by Scar215.
The FBI accessed the accounts used by Scar215 on the hitmen websites, capturing screenshots of the messages exchanged between him and the administrators as evidence. Ilg also attempted to obstruct justice by sending a letter to an important witness, offering to marry her and pay for her children's education in exchange for destroying any incriminating evidence.
On August 10, 2022, Ilg pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting threats. On January 24, 2023, US District Judge William Fremming Nielsen sentenced him to eight years in prison and three years of probation. The judge also ordered a $100,000 fine and a $25,000 restitution payment. Judge Nielsen described Ilg's behavior as "truly outrageous and even malicious," emphasizing that he had spent a significant amount of money to ensure that his demands were carried out.