N.J. Man Allegedly Paid 40 BTC to Have a 14-year-old Killed

John Michael Musbach, a 31-year-old man from Haddonfield, NJ, has been charged with hiring a hitman to kill a 14-year-old and paying 40 Bitcoin (equivalent to $20,000 at the time) for the crime. Musbach has plead guilty to using the internet for the murder in a federal court in Camden. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Musbach exchanged explicit photos and videos with the 13-year-old victim from New York in 2015, which was discovered by the victim’s parents and reported to the police. He was later arrested in 2016 on child pornography charges and had a search warrant conducted on his residence in Galloway, NJ.

According to the department of justice, Musbach wanted the victim killed to prevent them from testifying against him in the ongoing criminal case.

The charge of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000

the release said

Between May 7-20, 2016, John Michael Musbach communicated with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website on the dark web net that claimed to offer contract killings for payment in cryptocurrency. Musbach asked if a 14-year-old was a suitable target and, after being told it was possible, paid 40 Bitcoin (equivalent to $20,000 at the time) for the hit. He repeatedly checked on the status of the hit and even asked for an additional $5,000 to secure it. When asked for more money, Musbach tried to cancel the hit and request a refund, only to find out that the website was a scam and the administrator threatened to reveal his information to law enforcement.