A Dallas, Texas, woman who ran an online business was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following her conviction in a murder-for-hire plot. Ashley Grayson, 35, had gained notoriety for her online presence, describing herself as a bestseller, eight-figure business coach, course creator, and philanthropist.
In 2021, Grayson had a falling out with a woman from Southaven, Mississippi, who had an online business similar to her own. Grayson believed the woman had been creating fake online profiles that criticized her and her business. Then, in August 2022, Grayson asked a Memphis woman to fly to Dallas to discuss a “business opportunity.” The Memphis woman and her husband met with Grayson and her husband, Joshua, and Grayson offered to pay them to kill the Southaven woman, offering at least $20,000 for each killing.
On September 10, 2022, the Memphis woman recorded a video call in which Grayson confirmed that she wanted the Southaven woman killed as soon as possible. The Memphis couple later demanded $10,000 from Grayson and collected it from her. In July 2023, Grayson and her husband were indicted for use of an interstate facility in commission of murder-for-hire. The case went to trial, and Grayson was found guilty, while her husband was acquitted.
Grayson was sentenced to 120 months in prison, the maximum sentence permitted, and three years of supervised release. She will not be eligible for parole. Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren said that the case was a “twenty-first century crime where online feuds and senseless rivalries bled into the real world.”