Easley man pleds guilty in murder for hire

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United States Attorney Sherri Lydon announced recently that Travis Dale Brady, 35, of Easley, pled guilty in federal court in Greenville on a murder-for-hire charge, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1958. United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks accepted the plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Brady faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Brady was arrested on federal charges on March 16, 2018 and has remained in custody since his federal arrest.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that in 2017 Brady made comments about wanting to blow up a local business as revenge for his firing after a disagreement with fellow employees who are of a different race. The FBI was notified by a concerned person with knowledge of Brady’s intent and initiated an undercover investigation. Eventually, the FBI was able to introduce an undercover agent to Brady. During the investigation, it became clear Brady wanted to buy a bomb from the undercover FBI agent to be used to kill two of Brady’s former co-employees at their residence. In March of 2018, Brady maintained contact with the undercover FBI employee and his goal to obtain a bomb and deliver it to the intended residence became a more formal plan. Brady asked the undercover FBI employee about the radius of the anticipated bomb blast on the residence. Brady informed the undercover FBI employee that he wanted the two targets exterminated. Brady later paid $100, believing an explosive device would be placed in the mail for delivery to its intended target(s). On March 16, 2018, Brady was arrested and cooperated with FBI agents during his interview.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.