Linscott Sentenced to 151 Months

Lack of remorse cited by judge

Ann Marie Linscott, 49, of Rockford, Michigan, was sentenced on February 4, 2009, to 151 months of imprisonment for perpetrating a murder-for-hire scheme, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Donald A. Davis, and Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Lawrence G. Brown.

Linscott was sentenced by the Honorable Janet T. Neff, U.S. District Court Judge. At sentencing, Judge Neff chastised Linscott for displaying no remorse. Judge Neff felt compelled to sentence Linscott to a lengthy term of imprisonment to protect the public from Linscott and to send a clear message of deterrence to anyone else who might contemplate a murder-for-hire scheme.

In November 2007, three California residents were searching the Internet website www.craigslist.com for job opportunities and they exchanged e-mails with Linscott regarding a job opportunity she was advertising on the website. The job description was advertised as “freelance” with no further information provided. During the e-mail correspondence, Linscott, who was a Rockford resident, asked each of the three individuals responding to her advertisement to “”eradicate” a woman living in Oroville, Butte County, California, and provided additional information on the intended victim to include a description of the victim, her age and her employment address. On two separate occasions, Linscott offered payment of $5,000 upon completion of “the eradication task.” The three individuals reported the incident to law enforcement authorities in California.

Investigators in California identified the true identity of Linscott’s intended victim and determined the victim was married. The victim’s husband was interviewed by investigators and acknowledged meeting Linscott through an on-line college course in 2004 or 2005. According to the victim’s husband, he and Linscott developed an on-line relationship. The victim’s husband met Linscott in person when he traveled to Reno, Nevada, in July 2005 to attend a conference. Linscott spent two days with the husband in Reno. Linscott also visited the husband in Butte County in May 2007, and since that time they continued to communicate via telephone and e-mail.

While the charges were filed in the Eastern District of California, Linscott was permitted to plead guilty in her home state in the Western District of Michigan.

The investigation of this matter was conducted by the FBI in Sacramento and Chico, California, FBI Violent Crimes Fugitive Task force in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Butte County Sheriff’s Department in California, and Oroville, California Police Department.

This case was prosecuted, in cooperation with the Butte County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru on behalf of the Western District of Michigan.