Authorities were informed on January 1, 2021, that Marenghi had asked them for assistance in killing his wife after complaining that she had requested a restraining order against him. The FBI gave the unknown person instructions to bring Marenghi to an agent posing as a hired killer.
According to the press statement, Marenghi met with the undercover agent on January 20 of that year and "sought help to 'remove' his problem," adding that Marenghi also gave the agent a picture of his wife's house and instructions on how to avoid being seen on video.
According to the press release, Marenghi saw the undercover agent once more on January 29, 2021, and gave him a cash deposit of $1,500 "for the murder and indicated that the sooner the 'demolition work' takes place, the sooner he will be able to pay the remainder owing."
He provided the agent with a picture of his wife and information about her car. He informed the agent of the business hours that she operated and the times that he would be spending time with their kids, which he claimed would be the "ideal time for the construction work to start," according to the authorities.
Marenghi could get a fine of up to $250,000, up to 10 years in prison, and up to three years of supervised release.
Affidavits were also submitted on January 29, 2021, by special agent Bryce Ferrara accusing Marenghi of "the commission of murder-for-hire," according to court records.
Marenghi explained to the agent that he wanted a "problem" involving his "soon-to-be" ex-wife to be "taken care of" at their initial encounter on January 20. Marenghi responded, "Sure, I need to... eliminate that problem," when the agent asked whether he intended to "get rid of her."
Marenghi responded, "Oh, yeah, obviously that's the best way," when the agent said, "I mean, we can make it look like an accident... it is your call."
According to the petition, Marenghi and the agent agreed that Marenghi would pay $10,000 for the death of his wife.
It is unknown if Marenghi has a lawyer who can speak for him.
