A federal grand jury indicted a Kansas City man Tuesday for his role in a murder-for-hire conspiracy, following an indictment last year for illegally possessing firearms.
The jury charged Thomas Clegg, 40, with one count of participating in a conspiracy to commit murder and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. This indictment replaces an Oct. 2022 indictment for possessing firearms as a felon.
Authorities said Clegg and his co-conspirators allegedly plotted to kill a victim, identified in the indictment as J.C., and J.C.’s family between Aug. 2021 and June 2022.
Clegg allegedly planned to pay for the killing with both cash and marijuana.
Before the murder-for-hire conspiracy indictment, Clegg also allegedly possessed two firearms — a Glock .40-caliber pistol and a Springfield Armory .45-caliber pistol — between May and June 2022. As a felon, it was illegal under federal law for Clegg to possess these firearms.
Clegg was previously convicted for possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon, trafficking in drugs, voluntary manslaughter, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, assault, armed criminal action and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kansas City Police and Independence Police investigated the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a violent crime reduction program that brings police and community members together to stop violent crime and gun violence from occurring in neighborhoods.