The Broward Sheriff’s Office Strategic Investigations Division arrested a South Florida man on Thursday for trying to have his ex-wife killed.

According to investigators, while serving a Florida prison sentence for aggravated stalking and other charges, Michael Pine expressed an interest in hiring a hitman to murder his ex-wife. Pine was released from the South Florida Reception Center in Doral on Feb. 25, and BSO began conducting an undercover operation. During multiple conversations between Pine and an undercover detective, Pine offered to pay $10,000 to kill his ex-wife. Pine told the undercover detective that he blamed his ex-wife for him being sent to prison.

On Wednesday, March 5, in Deerfield Beach, Pine paid the undercover detective $2,000 as a down payment for the murder. On Thursday, March 6, the undercover detective told Pine that the murder had taken place, and Pine promised to pay the additional $8,000. At that time, BSO detectives took Pine into custody on charges of attempted premeditated murder and criminal attempt to solicit a capital felony.

Following his arrest, Pine admitted to the crime. He was subsequently booked into the Broward County Main Jail.

The case was investigated by SID, BSO’s Threat Management Unit and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.