Missouri Man Tried to Use Bitcoin to Buy Chemical Weapons After Messy Breakup

Everyone deals with breakups in different ways—but not many attempt to use bitcoin to purchase enough chemical weaponry on the dark web to kill hundreds of people. Missouri man Jason William Siesser, 46 years old, did exactly that. According to the Justice Department, Siesser was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison after attempting to use the cryptocurrency to buy up the stock of deadly weapons in the summer of 2018. The DoJ statement said: “Writings located within the home articulated Siesser’s heartache, anger, and resentment over a breakup, and a desire for the person who caused the heartache to die.” When making his purchase, Siesser told the seller: “I plan to use it soon after I receive it.” The chemical has been identified in reports as dimethylmercury—and prosecutors said Siesser ordered enough of the toxic substance to kill 300 people. Christopher Slusher, a lawyer for Siesser, told The New York Times that his client regrets his actions and commented: “He’s never been in trouble before this.”