A glamorous equestrian from California is accused of trying to kill her millionaire ex-husband in a murder-for-hire plot after a court directed her to cut down her expenditures from $50,000 per month to $12,000. Tatyana Remley, 42, was arrested in early August in a sting operation at a Starbucks in Solana Beach.
The arrest came almost a month after her husband Mark Remley discovered that she had paid a mutual friend $2 million to kill him. Upon learning about the plot from the very friend that his estranged wife had attempted to bribe into killing him, Mark took matters into his own hands and reported the situation to the police.
A Plan That Never Got Executed
Tatyana, who filed for divorce in May, faces allegations of offering $2 million to a mutual associate to eliminate Mark, her husband of 12 years. However, the mutual friend told Mark about the plot.
According to local reports, the couple, prominently associated with the ill-fated acrobatic equestrian production Valitar, had a tumultuous past marked by previous divorce filings that were never carried out and allegations of mistreatment.
Mark claims that shortly after Tatyana allegedly tried to solicit a hit on him, she reportedly set fire to their upscale $5 million home in Del Mar's lavish Rancho Reposo.
Tatyana's legal representative said that she had been grappling with financial difficulties after being directed to reduce her expenses in accordance with the terms of their divorce agreement.
In July, Tatyana's lawyer, Tiffany Brown, detailed her client's challenges within a divorce submission. "Wife is experiencing extreme financial strain. She is unable to maintain her realistic monthly expenses of just $12,000, much less [than] what she was accustomed to at $50,000," the filing states.
"She has no income and does not have the same access to funds and assets that Respondent does."
In a state of desperation, Tatyana supposedly sought help from a mutual friend to address her situation. Upon learning about the alleged murder plot, Mark took his concerns to the police, resulting in Tatyana's arrest as part of a sting operation, as reported by The Coast News.
The exact specifics of how Tatyana, who bears Mark's name tattooed on her stomach, asked for him to be killed have not been shared by police at this time.
Moreover, apart from the solicitation of murder charge, she is confronting two weapons-related accusations: carrying and concealing firearms not registered under her name within a vehicle, and carrying a loaded firearm in a public place without proper registration. The former is a felony, while the latter is a misdemeanor.
On August 4, Tatyana pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her request for bail was denied by a judge.
If found guilty of the solicitation offense, she could face a prison term of up to nine years. The firearms felony charge could extend that sentence by another year.
Similarity to Lindsay Shiver Case
The case bears uncanny similarities to the one involving Lindsay Shiver, who stands accused of conspiring with her younger lover from the Bahamas and an alleged 'hitman' in a plot to assassinate her ex-college football star husband, Robert.
The Remleys reportedly had a tumultuous relationship characterized by both highs, such as opulent residences and extravagant getaways, and lows, including heated arguments and repeated divorce filings.
They initially got married in 2011, and over the span of a decade, they experienced multiple separations and reconciliations.
According to court records, Tatyana asserted having unrestricted access to credit cards, allowing for expenditures of up to $50,000 each month. She also mentioned owning lavish properties in California and Hawaii.
Following their most recent split, she requested an additional $15,000 per month in spousal support from him. She also sought exclusive possession of their Del Mar home, along with two trucks, a horse trailer, various possessions, and their pets.
Tatyana's lawyer argued that she struggled to adjust to a more modest lifestyle, as the couple had been known to spend $30,000 in a single evening. She estimated her husband's luxury vehicles, including two Rolls Royce cars, to be worth over $1 million. Additionally, she claimed that Mark possessed more than $8 million in assets that he could liquidate to support her.
Within her legal filings, Tatyana made disturbing allegations of abuse, recounting instances where she was reportedly held at gunpoint and chased with a knife within their home. She also accused him of being present during an assault involving a friend of his, where she was threatened at gunpoint.
Mark refuted the allegation in her petition and told The Coast News that the stories were false.
The Remleys gained significant media attention a decade ago when they launched their "equine-human acrobatics show," named Valitar, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 2012.
However, the show's operation came to an abrupt close, leading to the business's rapid collapse and subsequent legal actions from vendors.
In 2015, the couple ventured into a new venture by launching a cycling studio known as Rhythm and Power. However, the studio also shut down within a year for undisclosed reasons.
