A Malden man who got caught trying to hire a hitman to kill his wife, because that “contract killer” was actually an undercover FBI agent, has been sentenced to prison.
Massimo Marenghi, 57, on Monday in Boston federal court was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release.
In March, Marenghi pleaded guilty to one count of murder-for-hire.
“Domestic violence is a truly haunting reality that is far too pervasive in our society. At its core, that is what the prosecution of Mr. Marenghi was all about,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy. “He was looking to engage in the most extreme form of domestic violence by plotting the murder of his wife.
“While the vast majority of domestic violence situations do not involve the federal criminal law, when this office has an opportunity to hold people accountable for this type of despicable conduct, we will spare no effort in prosecuting such offenders,” Levy added.
According to the feds, a person in January 2021 told police that Marenghi had complained about his wife seeking a restraining order against him. Marenghi asked the individual for assistance in killing his wife.
At the direction of federal agents, the individual introduced Marenghi to an undercover agent who posed as a contract killer. Later that month, Marenghi met with the undercover agent to “eliminate” his problem, according to the feds.
Marenghi provided the undercover agent with a photograph of his wife’s residence and explained how to avoid the cameras while approaching the residence.
Then on Jan. 29, 2021, Marenghi again met with the undercover agent and discussed moving forward with the plan to kill his wife, providing a $1,500 cash deposit for the murder. Marenghi explained that the sooner the “demolition job” took place, the sooner he would be able to pay the balance owed.
He also provided a photograph of his wife, the color, model and license plate number of her car, the hours of operation of her place of business, and a schedule of when he would have custody of his children — which he said would be the “best time for the construction work to start.”
“Massimo Marenghi plotted to kill his wife and went to great lengths not to get caught,” said Christopher DiMenna, acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Thankfully, his plot was thwarted because the person he thought was a contract killer was in fact an undercover FBI Special Agent.
“Mr. Marenghi’s conduct in this case was truly horrific, and today’s sentence is just,” DiMenna added. “It is our hope the victim in this case can rest easier knowing that he will spend the next decade behind bars.”