John Michael Musbach, Sentenced to Six Years for Paying Hitman 40 Bitcoin ($20,000) for the Murder of His Child Abuse Victim

 

A man from New Jersey, John Michael Musbach, who confessed to a murder-for-hire plot in an attempt to silence a victim of child sexual abuse from testifying at trial, has been sentenced to a minimum of six years in federal prison. 

The sentencing, announced by the Justice Department in a press release, imposed a 78-month prison term on Musbach.

Federal prosecutors revealed that Musbach, 34 years old, engaged in the exchange of sexually explicit photos and videos with the victim, who was a 13-year-old residing in New York at the time, during the summer of 2015. 

The victim's parents discovered the illicit communications and promptly contacted the police. Musbach was subsequently arrested in March 2016. 

However, in May of the same year, he devised a plan to have the victim murdered in order to prevent him from testifying in the pending criminal case.

Between May 7 and May 20, 2016, Musbach actively communicated with the administrator of a murder-for-hire website operating on the dark net. 

This website claimed to offer contract killings or other violent acts in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. Musbach arranged for the murder-for-hire, even inquiring if the intended victim, who was 14 years old at that time, was too young to be targeted. 

Upon learning that age would not be a barrier, Musbach paid approximately 40 Bitcoin, equivalent to around $20,000, for the hit.

According to the Justice Department's press release, Musbach persistently messaged the website's administrator to inquire about the progress of the hit but hesitated when asked for additional funds. 

When the website's administrator demanded an extra $5,000 to secure the hit, Musbach sought to cancel the arrangement and requested a refund. 

However, the website's administrator revealed that it was a scam and threatened to expose Musbach's information to law enforcement.

Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez, a Ronald Reagan appointee, handed down the sentence, which includes three years of supervised release and a $30,000 fine. 

The plea agreement had initially outlined a sentencing range of five to eight years.