Massachusetts man unknowingly hires undercover fed to kill wife

A Massachusetts man who attempted to hire a contract killer to murder his wife had unknowingly asked an undercover federal agent to carry out the hit, authorities say.

Massimo Marenghi, 56, now faces up to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty Thursday to the murder-for-hire, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a release.

The Malden man “complained about his wife seeking a restraining order against him” during a January 2021 meeting with an undercover FBI agent posing as a contract killer, officials said.

Marenghi later met with the undercover agent and asked him to help “eliminate” his problem as the pair “discussed a price of $10,000,” the feds said.

The hubby provided the agent with a photograph of his wife’s home and detailed how to evade surveillance cameras while carrying out the crime, they said.

During a second meeting, Marenghi gave the federal agent a $1,500 cash deposit for the murder and urged him to carry out the killing soon, authorities said.

Marenghi told the agent that the sooner the “demolition job” occurs, the quicker the hired gun would be able to pay the rest of what he owed, officials said.

While attempting to set up the murder, Marenghi gave the undercover agent various details about his soon-to-be ex-wife, authorities said.

He provided a photograph of his wife, the color, model, and license plate number on her car and the hours of operation of her work, the feds said.

Marenghi also provided a schedule that indicated when he would have custody of their children, which he said would be the “best time for the construction work to start,” authorities said.

In addition to a sentence of up to 10 years, the charge of murder-for-hire includes three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Marenghi is scheduled to be sentenced June 8.