Florida woman uses federal pandemic loan to hire hitman to murder rival

A Florida woman is accused of using federal pandemic relief funds to hire a hitman to murder a rival who previous dated her ex-boyfriend, police sources reveal.

A NBC 6 report shows that Jasmine Martinez allegedly used money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program to pay a gunman to fatally shoot Le’Shonte Jonesin outside of her Miami apartment on May 3, 2021.

Her 3-year-old son was also wounded.

The arrest warrant shows that Martinez withdrew more than $10,000 in the days leading up to the shooting just days after receiving $15,000 from the federal government in a loan for her single-employee beauty salon, the Miami Herald reported.  

Police also arrested alleged hitman Javon Carter and Romiel Robinson, accused of acting as a middleman, in relation to the murder of Jones, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker.

The arrest warrant also notes that Carter filmed himself counting cash just hours after allegedly shooting Jones multiple times.

“Just another day at the office,” Carter said on the video, according to the Herald.

But attorneys for Martinez and Robinson argued that their clients played no role in the killing.

Martinez allegedly targeted the TSA worker on several occasions and she was eventually arrested in 2016 after hitting Jones, who was dating Martinez’s ex-boyfriend. The case was subsequently dropped.

After Martinez was arrested for a second time in 2018 for allegedly beating up Jones, Jones was attacked by two men – including Martinez’s new boyfriend Kelly Nelson – in the courthouse parking lot, NBC reported.

Although Jones planned on testifying against Nelson, she reported being harassed and was later offered a payoff to keep her from appearing in court. Robinson, who was reportedly Martinez’s latest boyfriend, allegedly put Martinez in touch with Jones’ alleged killer.

In April, Jones testified that she’d been attacked by Nelson and intimidated by Martinez.