A Florida businessman reportedly tried to hire a hit man from El Salvador to kill his wife, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and 9-month-old son, officials said.
Jason Dennis Simione, 39, was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder. He was also charged with threatening to discharge a destructive device and child abuse in connection to the bomb-making materials allegedly found in his home, including threaded galvanized pipe caps, nails, gunpowder, wire and batteries, the Miami Herald reports. A massive trove of guns and ammunition also was found, including more than 70,000 rounds and a .50-caliber sniper rifle.
“The court is concerned with his alleged willingness to hire a hit man to kill everyone in his family, including his own child,” said Broward Court Judge John Hurley, who set Simione’s bail at $5 million.
Simione, president of Bulldog Tactical Equipment LLC, a supplier of tactical and assault equipment, allegedly asked a Salvadoran employee of his company if he knew someone from his native country who would commit murder. He then offered the unidentified man $150,000 to arrange the killings of his wife, her mother, his brother-in-law and the couple’s baby if he didn’t get custody of the child in a looming divorce with Megumi “May” Simione.
Simione’s wife filed for divorce in July and filed a temporary injunction against the businessman on Saturday, alleging he was abusing steroids, causing him to become paranoid, delusional and violent.
Simione, according to an arrest warrant, also used racial slurs toward employees and frequently said President Obama should be murdered due to his race.
In July, the man whom detectives described as a “survivalist,” posted his last Facebook message to friends and family: “I should have known that I do not deserve happiness.”
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