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Who is John Michael Musbach? New Jersey man, 31, paid hitman $20k in Bitcoin to kill 14-year-old

Prosecutors said that Musbach had decided to have the victim killed so the minor 'could not testify against him in a pending criminal case from 2016'
UPDATED FEB 4, 2023
 31-year-old John Michael Musbach of Haddonfield was arrested in 2016 on child pornography charges (Salem County Jail)
31-year-old John Michael Musbach of Haddonfield was arrested in 2016 on child pornography charges (Salem County Jail)

CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY: A New Jersey man, who paid a hitman $20,000 in Bitcoin, to kill a 14-year-old faces upto 10 years in prison, according to the prosecution. John Michael Musbach, 31, of Haddonfield, pleaded guilty in Camden federal court on Thursday, February 2.

In the indictment before District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden federal court, Musbach is accused of using the internet — a facility of interstate and foreign commerce — knowingly and intentionally, as well as of causing another to use it, with the intent to commit murder, US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced in a news release. 

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Mubach was arrested for child pornography in 2016

In 2015, Mubach exchanged sexually explict photographs and videos with the then 13-year-old victim who lived in New York. The victim’s parents found out about the inappropriate contact and contacted the local police. 

Musbach was identified in the case and, in March 2016, he was arrested on child pornography charges and a search warrant of his residence, then in Galloway, New Jersey, was conducted.

Musbach hired a hitman to kill the teenager

Prosecutors said that Musbach had decided to have the victim killed so the minor "could not testify against him in the pending criminal case from 2016."

 Between May 7, 2016, and May 20, 2016, Musbach repeatedly communicated with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website which operated on the dark net. He also allegedly offered contract killings in return for payment in cryptocurrency, and arranged for a murder-for-hire.

Musbach asked if a 14-year-old was too young to target, and upon hearing that the age was not a problem, paid approximately 40 bitcoin, which was $20,000 at the time, for the hit. He repeatedly messaged the website’s administrator following up on the hit and asking when it would be executed.

Musbach may have to spend a decade in prison

When pressed for an additional $5,000 to secure the hit, Musbach sought to cancel and asked for a refund of his $20,000. The website’s administrator then revealed that the website was a scam and threatened to reveal Musbach’s information to law enforcement, the US Attorney’s Office said.

Musbach faces a maximum potential penalty of a decade in prison and a fine “of the greater of $250,000, twice the gross profits to Musbach or twice the gross losses to the victim of his offence." His sentencing is scheduled for June 13.

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