NJ man paid $20K to murder underage victim after child porn bust

💻 NJ man was busted for child pornography in 2016 for sexting NY teen

💰 John Musbach then paid $20,000 in bitcoin to try and have the teen killed

🏛 Musbach faces up to 10 years in federal prison for murder-for-hire

A Haddonfield man has admitted paying $20,000 in bitcoin to have someone kill a 14-year-old whom he had been found sexting, according to federal prosecutors.

John Michael Musbach, 33, pleaded guilty in Camden federal court on Thursday to murder-for-hire, stemming from exposed transactions on the “dark web” in 2016.

Busted for explicit sexting with 13-year-old NY teen

In summer 2015, Musbach exchanged sexually explicit photographs and videos with the victim, then a 13-year-old living in New York.

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

Musbach, then a resident of Galloway, was arrested in March 2016 by officers from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

In October 2017, Musbach pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child by sexual contact and was sentenced in 2018 to a two-year suspended sentence, with parole supervision for life.

Musbach’s $20,000 paid in bitcoin for “murder for hire” is exposed

In early 2019, an informant brought Musbach’s apparent hit attempt in May 2016 to the attention of authorities.

Musbach had tried to have the victim killed to avoid testimony in the pending criminal case.

Over a two-week span, Musbach had first asked whether “a 14-year-old was too young to target.”

Once he was told no, he paid $20,000 in bitcoin to a website on the dark web.

After being pressed to pay an additional $5,000, Musbach eventually tried to cancel and get a refund of his $20,000.

The website’s administrator then revealed that the site was a scam and threatened to reveal Musbach’s information to law enforcement.

When sentenced in June, Musbach will face up to 10 years in prison and a considerable fine for conviction of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.