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Tennessee National Guardsman Caught Trying to Moonlight as Hit Man, Feds Say

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Tennessee National Guardsman Caught Trying to Moonlight as Hit Man, Feds Say


A Tennessee Nationwide Air Guardsman is going through prices for allegedly submitting his resume to what he thought was a web site hiring contract killers—however, in actuality, was a parody website that tipped off federal authorities.

Josiah Ernesto Garcia, 21, was charged on Thursday with utilizing interstate commerce services within the fee of a murder-for-hire after allegedly submitting an employment inquiry to RentAHitman.com in February. In line with prosecutors, Garcia mentioned he labored for the Air Nationwide Guard whereas submitting a question expressing curiosity in “acquiring employment as a hitman.”

“Im searching for a job, that pays nicely, associated to my army expertise (Taking pictures and Killing the marked goal) so I can help my child on the way in which,” Garcia allegedly wrote in a single e-mail, in line with a felony grievance filed in Tennessee federal courtroom. “What can I say, I get pleasure from doing what I do, so if I can discover a job that’s much like it, (similar to this one) put me in coach!”

The appliance spurred a months-long sting, throughout which Garcia admitted in a single telephone interview that he was comfy taking fingers and ears as trophies for his purchasers. He was requested to do a $5,000 job in April, and was in the end arrested on April 12 after inquiring as as to if he “wanted to take a photograph [of the dead body] as proof that the job was full,” the feds mentioned.

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It was not instantly clear whether or not Garcia has a lawyer. A spokesperson for the Tennessee Army Division confirmed that Garcia enlisted within the Air Nationwide Guard in July 2021—and that the company is conscious of this latest arrest and can help “civil regulation enforcement as they proceed their investigation.”

Garcia is only one of a slew of people who’ve fallen prey to the pretend murderer web site that was initially created in 2005 to “promote a cyber safety startup firm,” prosecutors say. Though the corporate by no means took off, the grievance states, the web site acquired “many inquiries about murder-for-hire companies” and ultimately transformed itself “to a parody website that accommodates false testimonials from those that have purported to make use of hitman companies, and an consumption kind the place individuals can request companies.”

“Caught my husband dishonest with the babysitter and our relationship was terminated after a free public relations session. I’m single once more and seeking to mingle,” one of many false testimonials on the web site states. “Thanks Guido and RENT-A-HITMAN!”

The grievance notes that the web site additionally has an inquiry kind to “apply to work as a employed killer,” which Garcia allegedly submitted on Feb. 16. In his software, Garcia allegedly indicated that he had “army expertise and rifle experience” and required an “in-depth job description.”

The following day, Garcia allegedly reached out once more—this time together with his Tennessee dwelling tackle and indicated that he was “searching for employment” however was having bother with the web site. On Feb. 18, the web site proprietor responded to Garcia underneath the guise of the corporate’s CEO Guido Fanello, and requested for his resume, headshot, and identification, the grievance states.

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Garcia responded the next day and famous that he was “employed with the Air Nationwide Guard from July 2021 till current.” In his resume, the grievance states, Garcia additionally indicated that he was a “Marksman Professional, awarded for not lacking a single bullseye on the entire targets and for taking pictures professional with 2 (or extra) weapons.” He additionally allegedly revealed that his nickname was “Reaper” due to his “Army expertise and Marksmanship.”

“Garcia was stating his skillset matched the wants of an organization that hires workers to commit homicide,” the grievance states, noting that he even despatched a follow-up e-mail on Feb. 20 when he didn’t instantly hear again and included an outline of why he wished the job.

Ultimately, after Garcia allegedly despatched two further follow-up emails, the web site proprietor responded on March 16 on the route of the FBI.

“Josiah, a Subject Coordinator can be in contact within the close to future. You’ll obtain a message when they’re prepared. Timing relies on shopper wants,” the web site proprietor wrote.

The grievance states that days later, an undercover FBI worker started texting Garcia, posing as a “recruiter for Lease A Hitman” and scheduled a telephone interview on April 5. Through the name, Garcia once more reiterated that he was within the Air Nationwide Guard and that he was “a educated army sniper and hoped him being within the army wouldn’t disqualify him for the job.”

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Garcia additionally indicated that he most well-liked to “shoot individuals from [a] distance,” and requested whether or not “fifteen to twenty thousand can be an excessive amount of to ask” for every mark. The grievance notes that the undercover FBI agent additionally requested Garcia if he “was comfy with taking fingers or ears as trophies or performing torture at a shopper’s request.”

“If it’s doable and in my means to take action, I’m greater than succesful,” Garcia responded, earlier than including that he would take a job for as little as $2,500 and that he owned an AR-15. “Being within the army, doing that form of work already. I used to be trying into civilian regulation enforcement however that’s not for me. I wished one thing extra thrilling. I began looking the net after which I discovered this, so right here I’m.”

The following day, the grievance states that Garcia met the spy at a Nashville restaurant, the place he revealed that he had been trying into changing into a employed killer for “a while now” to “make good cash.” Through the dialog, Garcia even admitted that he was initially nervous the agent was regulation enforcement—however was “now comfy” after assembly in individual and was assured in his army coaching, in line with the paperwork.

The grievance states that Garcia additionally indicated that he was searching for a job with flexibility as a result of he was beginning faculty the following yr and solely works one weekend monthly within the Air Nationwide Guard.

“You might be locked in? That is what you need? As a result of it seems like you will have quite a bit occurring. You’re within the army. You’ve received faculty,” the spy requested Garcia, in line with the grievance. “You’ve received quite a bit occurring, so far as good issues in your life to kinda’ get on this world. It’s a shady world, and I simply don’t need you to have regrets should you come to work for us, as a result of it, I imply it messes together with your thoughts, taking pictures individuals.”

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In response, Garcia said that he had “weighed the psychological results of killing somebody and he was okay with it,” including that he would like to work in one other state however he was additionally “alright to kill some native individuals.”

When requested if he can be happy with killing 50 targets, Garcia allegedly responded: “That’s rookie numbers for the Reaper.”

On April 9, the grievance states, the spy texted Garcia asking if he was out there for an “straightforward mark” in three days. The pair met on Wednesday, at which level Garcia was introduced with a “goal packet” that consisted of images and an outline of a pretend abusive husband of a shopper. The job, the agent mentioned, would pay $5,000 if the goal was killed inside the subsequent 10 days.

Garcia was arrested after taking the cash. In an interview with federal authorities, Garcia said he was searching for work as a result of he wanted “cash and his household couldn’t afford hire.”

“A co-worker on the Air Nationwide Guard urged to GARCIA that he search for ‘contract mercenary jobs,’” the grievance states. “Garcia searched that time period on-line and got here throughout the rentahitman.com web site.”

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He informed prosecutors that simply days earlier than accepting the hit job, “he had he had been employed by Vanderbilt [M]edical and he was scheduled to begin coaching for the job.” After getting the gig, he mentioned he was having second ideas “in regards to the hitman job and altered his thoughts.”

“Garcia said that he was assembly the [undercover agent] to inform him he had modified his thoughts and didn’t wish to do this type of work,” the grievance states. “Garcia said that he was going to name the [undercover agent] when he received to his automotive and go away the cash on the curb for the [undercover agent] to choose up.”



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Tennessee

Middle Tennessee takes home win streak into matchup with New Mexico State

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Middle Tennessee takes home win streak into matchup with New Mexico State


Associated Press

New Mexico State Aggies (11-9, 4-3 CUSA) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (14-6, 5-2 CUSA)

Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST

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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Raiders -7; over/under is 140.5

BOTTOM LINE: Middle Tennessee will try to keep its seven-game home win streak alive when the Blue Raiders play New Mexico State.

The Blue Raiders have gone 8-1 in home games. Middle Tennessee is 3-1 in one-possession games.

The Aggies have gone 4-3 against CUSA opponents. New Mexico State is seventh in the CUSA with 25.1 defensive rebounds per game led by Peter Filipovity averaging 6.0.

Middle Tennessee’s average of 7.4 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.9 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game New Mexico State gives up. New Mexico State averages 8.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.7 more made shots on average than the 6.3 per game Middle Tennessee gives up.

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The matchup Thursday is the first meeting this season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jestin Porter is scoring 16.2 points per game with 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Blue Raiders. Camryn Weston is averaging 13.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 40.5% over the last 10 games.

Christian Cook is averaging 14.6 points for the Aggies. Filipovity is averaging 13.1 points and 9.4 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Raiders: 7-3, averaging 72.4 points, 33.3 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 7.4 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.3 points per game.

Aggies: 7-3, averaging 71.6 points, 33.8 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 7.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 60.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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Final voucher, immigration votes set for Thursday: Takeaways from Tennessee’s special session

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Final voucher, immigration votes set for Thursday: Takeaways from Tennessee’s special session


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Senate Republicans on Wednesday passed an immigration enforcement bill that establishes a central immigration enforcement office and adopted new driver’s licenses differentiating legal resident immigrants from U.S. citizens. 

Gov. Bill Lee and GOP leadership have said the measures are necessary to help President Donald Trump enforce his immigration policies. The Trump administration, however, has not explicitly directed states to take up any new policies at this time. 

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The bill also criminalizes local officials, such as county commission or city council members, who vote for any policy considered a “sanctuary” measure. Tennessee already bans sanctuary policies, which generally limit how much local or state governments are willing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. 

The criminalization clause is an unprecedented step by the Republican legislative supermajority to control the actions of local officials.

Senate Judiciary Chair Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, was the lone Republican to vote against the measure. Gardenhire joined Democrats in warning against setting a “dangerous precedent.” 

General Assembly staff attorneys also cautioned lawmakers this week the bill could likely run afoul of the U.S. Constitution, given constitutional protections for elected officials speaking or taking action as a part of their legislative duties. 

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“The reason that is a constitutional protection is to ensure that people are voting because they think it is the right thing to do,” said Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville. “To vote not based on pressure, not based on threats, but because they have some independence and integrity. We are literally threatening (elected officials) with criminal prosecution. This has been part of the common law since before we were a country.”

In recent years, Republican lawmakers have frequently passed legislation that conflicts with federal law, such as the abortion “trigger” law Tennessee passed that could not be enforced until constitutional protections were overturned. They now want to ban local officials from passing local policies that conflict with state law, even if the policies are unenforceable.

“The state legislature is the center of the universe, so there you go,” said bill co-sponsor Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, in an apparent tongue-in-cheek comment when asked why it was appropriate to criminalize local officials if state lawmakers regularly pass legislation that conflicts with federal laws.

Watson declined to answer questions about future implications of criminalizing local officials, or if he would find it appropriate for a Democratic-controlled legislature to criminalize local votes on issues like abortion. 

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Watson said the bill is “consistent with what the American people voted for,” continually touting Trump’s immigration policies as a mandate for state lawmakers. 

“The feds can’t do it without the states helping them,” Watson said. “We’ve made it clear across Tennessee for the past several years that sanctuary city and sanctuary policies are illegal. This is all consistent with that. There’s no hypocrisy at all.”

The immigration enforcement vote came on the second day of the special legislative session. A final immigration vote in the House is set for Thursday, along with House and Senate votes on school vouchers.

Here’s what else you need to know about legislative business Wednesday: 

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Bills rammed through at breakneck speed

Bills typically take two to four weeks to advance through the legislature’s robust committee system. But not so this week.

All seven bills filed for the special session – totaling nearly $1 billion in spending – passed through 17 committee hearings in a span of less than 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Republican committee members largely sat quiet during committee hearings: the bulk of questions came from Democrats, whom House committee chairs strictly time limited.

Despite the abbreviated committee hearings, Republican senators rejected multiple amendments offered by Democrats on the Senate floor at the behest of Watson, who argued they were already rejected in committee and should not be considered.

“Someone said earlier today that this bill has been rushed,” Watson said of the immigration enforcement measure before a final floor vote on Wednesday. “It has been through five committees. It has been debated. It has been vetted.”

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Final voucher votes set for Thursday

Lee’s $447 million statewide school choice proposal passed a final committee on Wednesday morning, drawing bipartisan opposition. The bill passed the Senate Finance Committee in a 8 to 3 vote with Republican Sen. Page Walley, R-Savannah, opposing. 

Final votes on the bill are scheduled in both the House and Senate chambers on Thursday morning.

Yarbro warned the scholarship program could become a “long term entitlement,” if demand rises over the years. There are currently about 74,000 students enrolled in eligible private schools statewide, and the program provide scholarships to 20,000 students. With legislative approval, the program can grow by 5,000 seats per year ― and could balloon to $550 million or more to the state per year if expanded to include every eligible private school seat.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, dismissed Yarbro’s concerns as “scare tactics” about how the program could “bust the budget in future years” noting that any growth to the program requires legislative approval.

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Only 51 of Tennessee’s 95 counties have an eligible private school, but Republican leaders have said that the program could spark new private institutions in the future.

Private school scholarships not ‘for disadvantaged families’

Republican leaders have consistently pitched a statewide school choice program as an opportunity to empower families without financial means to get their children out of failing schools.

Since the campaign trail in 2018, Lee has shared how helping a boy he mentored enroll in a charter school changed his view of education. 

“I witnessed the educational disparities across different incomes and ZIP codes, and I knew there were thousands of children like Adam who deserved better,” Lee wrote in a recent opinion column in The Tennessean. “Every child has a different life situation. So shouldn’t every family – not just the wealthy – have the freedom to choose the right education for their child?”

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But for 10,000 scholarships set aside in Lee’s bill for low income recipients, the income cap is $170,000 for a family of four. Another 10,000 have no income limit. Tennessee’s median household income was $85,900 in 2024.

During debate on Wednesday, Johnson sought to reframe the pitch.

“I never once said this was a program designed for disadvantaged families, and I’ve never heard the governor say that,” Johnson responded. “This legislation has been marketed as a parental empowerment tool.”

Johnson said some have criticized the proposal, arguing that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison could theoretically apply for a scholarship. Johnson decried the notion as “ridiculous,” but did not deny that the program would be open to billionaires.

“We’re not going to penalize people who have been successful,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to penalize people who work hard and might do a little better than someone else. We want these to be universal.”

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Protesters carried out of immigration enforcement committee

Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers were called into the House Immigration Committee Wednesday morning after Chair Chris Todd, R-Madison County, said a group in the audience was being disruptive.

A small group of protesters sat at the front of the committee room during debate over the immigration enforcement bill, holding signs and occassionally snapping to indicate their support of something said.

Todd had previously admonished the audience for attempting to “participate” in the committee hearing, though the group was relatively low key in comparison to previous committee hearings. But after another comment was made from the crowd, Todd shut down the meeting and ordered their removal. 

The women criticized the ejection as arbitrary after another spectator, Alison Beale, admitted to making the remark and offered to leave. The group refused to leave their seats, arguing they’d done nothing wrong, so a group of troopers physically lifted and carried the three women out of the committee room.

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They were not arrested or charged.



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NAEP results: Tennessee students buck grim national trends on nation’s report card

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NAEP results: Tennessee students buck grim national trends on nation’s report card


Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

Tennessee students held their ground on a major national test in a year when average student test scores declined nationwide.

Results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, released Wednesday, show that average test scores in Tennessee increased slightly in fourth and eighth grade reading and math, compared with 2022, though the gains were not statistically significant.

Tennessee’s latest post-pandemic results stood in contrast to declines seen nationwide and in many other states. And Tennessee students scored three to four points higher than the national average in math and one to two points higher in reading.

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“Tennessee students did well relative to other states, and we did better than some of our neighbors,” Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds said.

“We didn’t move backwards, we moved a little bit forward, and we expect to do better next year,” added state Rep. Mark White, of Memphis, who chairs a key House education committee and also serves on the NAEP governing board.

Math scores outpace reading scores

Tennessee has launched numerous initiatives aimed at bolstering early literacy, but the latest NAEP showed the state’s most dramatic improvements came in math.

In fourth grade math, 42% of students scored proficient or advanced, an increase of 6 percentage points from 2022. The state was one of 29 jurisdictions that posted scores similar to 2019, before the pandemic. Only Alabama had average scores higher than 2019. Nationwide, average scores are down three points, and 22 states had declines.

In eighth grade math, Tennessee’s proficiency rate also grew, while the national average declined. Tennessee was one of just two jurisdictions with similar scores to 2019. Average scores dropped 9 points.

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In fourth grade reading, Tennessee was one of 47 states with no statistical change from 2022. Nonetheless, its scores were up slightly, whereas the nationwide average dropped by two points from 2022 and by five points from 2019.

The small increases in eighth grade reading scores were not statistically different from 2022 or 2019, but again, the small increase stood in contrast to nationwide averages that dropped 5 points since 2019. Tennessee also saw more notable increases in scores among higher-performing students in the 75th percentile.

The relatively strong showing in math, according to state officials, could be tied to the full return to in-person learning, which studies show is especially important for math instruction; Tennessee’s 2021 adoption of new math standards; and the subsequent rollout of math curriculum to align with those standards.

They expect that trend to continue with passage of a 2024 state law spotlighting more analysis of and support for math instruction.

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Tennessee was an early adopter of pandemic-era interventions

Tennessee has been held up as a model both for how it managed federal pandemic relief spending — quickly steering money into tutoring, summer learning camps, and afterschool programs aimed at students who had fallen furthest behind — and for its intense focus on early literacy. State test results from 2024 show students there making steady progress since 2021.

The challenge now will be to maintain progress and deploy state funds to replace federal pandemic relief aid that expired last year.

“We still have that obligation at the state level to continue to support districts in as many ways as possible,” said Reynolds, the state’s education chief. She cited free professional development resources provided to school systems by her department as one example.

“Local school officials also knew that the money was ending, so they’ve been building in their own sustainability practices to keep the work going,” she said.

White, the state lawmaker and NAEP official, said the state’s controversial 2021 third-grade reading intervention and retention law was a key part of the mix. It pushed children whose families might have opted for summer breaks into summer learning programs and motivated schools to increase support for struggling readers.

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“If a child is not reading proficiently in third grade, we want to really understand why and not just pass them on,” he said.

State officials already are digging into the latest NAEP data on how various student groups performed — to study how they can offer better support.

Tennessee’s growing population of English language learners saw across-the-board improvement, while students with disabilities showed slight decreases.

The national results track with test score trends from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, which in 2024 showed that students continued to improve from post-pandemic lows.

The alignment of national and state data is important, said Amy Owen, the state’s senior education policy director, because “it shows that our students will be able to compete with students from across the country when they look at post-secondary and career opportunities.”

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“We’re seeing steady increases, which is significant when you think about where our kids were during COVID,” added Reynolds. “Our fourth graders were kindergartners then, our eighth graders were fourth graders.”

Memphis district opts out of separate NAEP assessment

Since 2018, NAEP has also released results for Memphis Shelby County Schools, one of roughly two dozen large urban districts participating in national math and reading tests through the Trial Urban District Assessment program, which is designed to help those districts measure student performance against districts in other large cities.

But last year, leaders of the Memphis district chose not to participate in the program.

White, who represents part of Memphis, said the lack of participation represented a “leadership breakdown” as the district cycled through superintendents.

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“That’s sad that we don’t have their scores,” he said. “We can’t continue that trend.”

What is NAEP?

Not every Tennessee fourth-grader or eighth-grader took the national test when the federal government administered the assessments in early 2024.

NAEP tests a nationally representative sample of students in every state. In Tennessee, each of the four assessments was taken by about 1,700-1,800 students in 80-90 schools.

The results, published as the nation’s report card, allow comparisons across states and are an important marker for showing how students are doing over time.

The last three testing cycles happened in 2019, 2022, and most recently in 2024, providing an especially helpful comparison of what students knew before the pandemic and how much they have rebounded from COVID-related learning disruptions.

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Erica Meltzer is Chalkbeat’s national editor based in Colorado. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.



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