NJ Man Sentenced For Hiring Hitman to Kill Teen in Child Porn Case

A Camden County man has been sentenced to 78 months in prison for paying $20,000 in bitcoin to have a 14-year-old murdered.

34-year-old John Michael Musbach of Haddonfield previously pleaded guilty to one count of "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."

Federal authorities say in the summer of 2015, Musbach, via the internet, exchanged sexually explicit photographs and videos with the victim, a 13-year-old living in New York.

The victim’s parents found out about the inappropriate contact and contacted police.

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Upon identifying Musbach, then a resident of Galloway, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office arrested Musbach on child pornography charges and executed a search warrant at his home.

Hitman hired

Musbach decided to have the teen killed so that the victim could not testify against him in the pending criminal case.

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.

Musbach paid approximately 40 bitcoin (approximately $20,000 at the time) for the hit.

No refunds

Officials say Musbach repeatedly messaged the website’s administrator following up on the hit and asking when it would occur.

When pressed for an additional $5,000 to secure the hit, Musbach eventually 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.

In addition to the prison term, Musbach was sentenced to three years of supervised release and fined $30,000.