Paediatrician arrested for allegedly trying to hire hitman to kill her ex-husband
Court records show Stephanie Russell had been involved in custody battle over children
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A Kentucky paediatrician has been arrested for allegedly trying to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband.
But unfortunately for Stephanie Russell, the Department of Justice says that the hitman was actually an undercover FBI agent.
Ms Russell, 52, agreed to pay $7,000 (£5,605) for the hit, according to authorities. On 18 May, she placed $3,500 in the drop box outside her Louisville-area medical practice. Investigators say that she had agreed to pay the remaining money once the hit was carried out.
She was arrested the following day and is behind bars at a federal prison in Oldham County, Kentucky.
If convicted, she faces up to ten years in federal prison, which comes with no parole.
She appeared before a US magistrate judge in the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on Friday.
Court records state that Ms Russell’s ex-husband filed for divorce in 2018, and their split became official in 2020. They were allegedly involved in an ongoing custody issue before her arrest, according to WDRB.
The records show that she was accused of previously attempting to hire a hitman to kill her husband in May 2018, reported Wave.
Her lawyer described the allegation as “preposterous” in a lawsuit filed against the judge who gave temporary full custody of the couple’s two children to her ex-husband.
The FBI and Louisville Metro Police Department are both investigating the case.