A woman who runs an online business in Dallas, Texas, was convicted of a murder plot and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Ashley Grayson, 35, runs an Internet-based business and gained notoriety through her online presence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
On her Instagram account, Grayson describes herself as a best-selling author, eight-figure business coach, course creator, and philanthropist.
In 2021, Grayson fell out with a woman from South Haven, Mississippi, who runs an online business similar to his own. The woman was the target of a murder-for-hire plot.
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Ashley Grayson was convicted of a murder-for-hire scheme and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice. (St. Petersburg)
Grayson believed the woman had created a fake online profile criticizing him and his business, but the two women had never met in person.
Then, in August 2022, Grayson asked a Memphis woman he had worked with in the past to fly to Dallas to discuss a “business opportunity.”
The Memphis woman and her husband arrived in Dallas the next month and met with Grayson and her husband, Joshua.
Grayson offered to pay the Memphis couple to kill a Southaven woman, Grayson’s ex-boyfriend and a Texas woman who had recently posted on social media critical of Grayson. She offered to pay at least $20,000 for each murder.
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In 2021, Grayson had a falling out with a woman from South Haven, Mississippi, who ran an online business similar to his and was the target of a murder-for-hire plot. (St. Petersburg)
On September 10, 2022, a Memphis woman recorded a video call in which Grayson confirmed that she wanted the Southaven woman killed as soon as possible, and that she would send additional orders to end the killing within the next week. He also offered to give $5,000.
The Memphis couple then sent Grayson a photo of police lights from an unrelated incident in Memphis to make it appear as if it was an attempted murder. The couple asked Grayson for $10,000, half of the promised amount. The Memphis couple then went to Dallas, met with the Grayson couple, and collected $10,000 from them for the “attempt”.
In July 2023, a Tennessee grand jury indicted Grayson and her husband on charges of murder-for-hire for using an interstate facility. The case went to trial in March, and a jury found Grayson guilty, but acquitted her husband.
Grayson was sentenced to 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release. (St. Petersburg)
Last month, Grayson was sentenced to 120 months in prison, the maximum sentence allowed for her crimes, and three years of supervised release. Because this is a federal case, she is not eligible for parole.
“This was a 21st century crime in which online feuds and senseless confrontations blended into the real world,” Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren said in a statement. “The defendant tried to hire someone to kill a woman because it only happened on the Internet.”
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“Fortunately, no one was physically injured in this incident, but the victim and her family are still feeling the severe and psychological effects as a result of the defendant’s actions,” the statement continued. “The proactive response of investigative agencies and prosecutors prevented a more serious crime from occurring.”
