Des Plaines Woman Charged In Murder For Hire Plot

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin and Woodridge Chief of Police Brian Cunningham announced today that bond has been set for a Des Plaines woman accused of contracting a “dark-web” company to murder the wife of a man with whom she had an affair. Tina Jones, 31 (d.o.b. 6/19/1986) of 711 S. River Road, appeared at a bond hearing this morning where Judge George Bakalis set the bond at $250,000 with 10% to apply. In all, Jones has been charged with one count of Solicitation of Murder for Hire, a Class X Felony.
          On April 12, 2018, the Woodridge Police Department received a tip that a woman in Woodridge was the subject of an alleged murder for hire plot. An investigation into the matter, led by the Woodridge Police Department, resulted in today’s charges. It is alleged that in January 2018, Jones paid the dark-web company more than $10,000 via bitcoin to have the woman murdered. Jones turned herself in to authorities yesterday.
          “The charge brought against Mrs. Jones this morning is extremely serious,” Berlin said. “Any attempt, or perceived attempt, to bring physical harm to another individual will be met by the full force and effect of the law. I would like to thank the Woodridge Police Department for their outstanding work in identifying the suspect in this case as well as the Naperville Police Department for their assistance. I would also like to thank Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Frahm for his work in securing the charges against Mrs. Jones.”
          “I would like to thank the Naperville Police Department and the DuPage County State’s Attorney office for their assistance and guidance during this investigation,” Cunningham said. “In recent years, law enforcement has seen a dramatic increase in the use of the dark web as it relates to criminal activity. This case is a great example of how increased training, shared resources and interagency cooperation helped protect one of our residents.”
          Jones’ next court appearance is scheduled for May 15, 2018, for arraignment in front of Judge George Bakalis. If convicted, she faces a minimum sentence of twenty years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Additional conditions of Bond for Jones, should she post, include surrendering of her passport and no contact with the victim or her family.
          Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Chicago Tribune

A nurse from Des Plaines tried to hire a hit man via the “dark web” to kill the wife of a man with whom she had an affair, DuPage County prosecutors said Wednesday.

Tina E. Jones, 31, of the 700 block of South River Road, appeared in court Wednesday, and Judge George Bakalis set her bail at $250,000. Jones is facing a count of solicitation of murder for hire, prosecutors said.

Woodridge police said they received a tip Thursday that a local woman had been targeted in a murder-for-hire plot. The tip came from the CBS news program “48 Hours,” which had been investigating internet companies offering contract killings, according to Paul Darrah, the spokesman for the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

An investigation led to Jones, who is alleged to have made a $10,000 payment in bitcoin to a “dark web” company earlier this year to have the woman murdered, authorities said. Jones, who works as a nurse at a west suburban hospital, went to Woodridge police for an interview Tuesday and was subsequently arrested, Darrah said.

Jones had contacted an internet entity calling itself the Cosa Nostra International Network, which Darrah said is apparently a scam.

The judge ordered that Jones have no contact with either the alleged victim or her husband should she post bond. She is due back in court May 15 for arraignment. The charge against her carries a minimum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.

In a statement, State’s Attorney Robert Berlin called the charges extremely serious and credited Woodridge police and Naperville police, who assisted in the investigation, for their work. The woman allegedly targeted works in Naperville, prosecutors said.

Woodridge police Chief Brian Cunningham said his department has seen increased criminal activity via the internet.

“This case is a great example of how increased training, shared resources and interagency cooperation helped protect one of our residents,” he said.

A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation confirmed that Jones is licensed as a registered nurse. In instances where a licensee is charged with a crime, the agency will initiate an investigation, IDFPR spokesman Terry Horstman said Wednesday.