Police in Florida say a woman hired a hitman using money from a COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loan, and she was arrested and charged as a result.
Authorities say Jasmine Martinez, 33, used her PPP loan money to allegedly pay the hitman who gunned down Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent Le’Shonte Jones, 24, outside residence last year.
According to reports, Martinez took out $10,000 from her bank account on April 20, 2021, the day before Jones was gunned down. The New York Times reports that police have arrested Javon Carter, who they believe to be the hitman.
Moreover, according to the Miami Herald, Martinez’s criminal history includes violent attacks towards Jones. Martinez’s robbery case included Jones as a prosecution witness.
Martinez was arrested and charged with battery in 2016 after allegedly striking Jones, who was dating Martinez’s ex-boyfriend.
The charges were later dropped. Martinez was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of assaulting Jones, and Martinez’s ex-boyfriend Kelly Nelson was arrested in 2020 on suspicion of assaulting Jones.
It was reported by WTVJ on Friday that police had arrested Martinez, Carter, and Romiel Robinson as suspects in the homicide.
All three were charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder by the police. First-degree murder conspiracy charges are likely to be filed against Martinez and Robinson.
In the hours after Jones’s death, police found a clip on Carter’s mobile showing him counting money and saying “just another day in the office,” according to the news outlet.
