What did John Michael Musbach do? New Jersey man admits role in murder for hire plot

John Michael Musbach, a 31-year-old man from Haddonfield, New Jersey, was charged with hiring a hitman using cryptocurrency in order to have a 14-year-old child murdered. Musbach faces a sentence of up to 10 years in imprisonment.

On Thursday, February 2, the Department of Justice stated that John Michael Musbach pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden federal court. According to a press release, he pleaded guilty to one count of the following:

"Knowingly and intentionally using and causing another to use a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, that is the internet, with the intent that a murder be committed."

The statement released by the Department of Justice further stated that 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 hefty fine.

"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, twice the gross profits to Musbach or twice the gross losses to the victim of his offense."

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John Michael Musbach reportedly sent explicit images and videos to the then-13-year-old

On Thursday, 31-year-old Musbach admitted to hiring a killer from a murder-for-hire website and paid them $20,000 in cryptocurrency to have a 14-year-old child killed. Authorities have cited the reason behind this as the wish to prevent the victim from testifying against him in a child s*xual abuse case.

According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, John Michael Musbach had established contact with the young victim online in 2015. He had reportedly exchanged s*xually explicit photographs and videos with the victim, who was then a 13-year-old living in New York. After this was reported to the local police by the victim's parents, Musbach was identified, and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO) was contacted by local law enforcement officers.

Almost a year later, in March 2016, officers from the ACPO arrested Musbach on child p*rnography charges and executed a search warrant at his Gallowsy residence. It was then that John Michael Musbach decided to have the victim killed to prevent them from testifying in court. According to the documents filed and statements made in court:

"During the period from May 7, 2016, through May 20, 2016, Musbach repeatedly communicated with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website, which operated on the dark net, and which purported to offer contract killings or other acts of violence in return for payment in cryptocurrency, and arranged for a murder-for-hire."

He had reportedly asked whether age would be a problem in the murder of the then-14-year-old, but was told by the administrator of the website that it would not matter. He made a transaction of around 40 bitcoin for the crime, which amounted to approximately $20,000 at the time.

However, when Musbach repeatedly contacted the administrator, following up on the hit and enquiring about when it would occur, he was asked for an additional amount of $5,000. Following this, the New Jersey man tried to cancel the hit and asked for a refund. It was then revealed to John Michael Musbach that the website was a scam, and the administrator threatened to reveal Musbach’s information to law enforcement.

John Michael Musbach's sentencing is scheduled to take place on June 13, 2023.