Illinois Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Abduct Lawyer for Ransom

An Illinois man has pleaded guilty to solicitation of a crime of violence in a plot to abduct a downstate lawyer for ransom.

Brett Nash pleaded guilty on Tuesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Alton Telegraph and the Associated Press report. His target is described as a onetime corporate lawyer from Granite City with a sexual interest in Nash’s wife; he was not identified by name. The Telegraph says Nash is from Granite City, while AP says he is from Pontoon Beach.

Prosecutors claimed Nash asked an acquaintance, a paroled killer, to help him after Nash’s wife refused to participate in the plot, AP says. The acquaintance told authorities.

Nash’s plea agreement says he hatched the idea to obtain $30,000 to avoid foreclosure on his home.