Newton man charged with trying to hire hit man

A Newton man is accused of trying to hire a hit man to kidnap a woman he met through an online dating service so that he could steal all of her money and then kill her.

Christopher Thieme, 35, was charged with one count of murder-for hire and one count of attempted kidnapping when he appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven C. Mannion in Newark federal court.

According to the complaint and a press release from U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman:

From December through Monday, Thieme sought assistance from an associate in order to kidnap and ultimately murder a woman whom Thieme had previously met through an online dating service. The two met in November and following approximately two dates, the victim attempted to cut off contact with Thieme.

Thieme’s associate alerted law enforcement to Thieme’s plans, and cooperated with law enforcement’s investigation into Thieme’s plot.

In early January, at the direction of law enforcement, Thieme’s associate introduced Thieme to an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman. Thieme explained to the undercover FBI agent that, once the victim was kidnapped, Thieme planned to empty her bank accounts and fraudulently sell off her home, the proceeds of which Thieme planned to use to pay for the kidnapping and murder.

Thieme said he planned to make the victim’s death look like a heroin overdose.

On Monday, Thieme met his associate and the undercover hitman and drove them to the victim’s home and other locations where the victim could be found. Thieme said he thought it would be best to kidnap her as she got home from work.

Thieme was apprehended shortly afterwards. The murder-for-hire charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine. The attempted kidnapping charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.