Haddonfield man sentenced to federal prison for trying to hire a hitman with bitcoin to kill 14-year-old boy

A 34-year-old Haddonfield man was sentenced Tuesday to 6 ½ years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to attempting to hire a hit man to kill 14-year-old boy in order to derail a child-pornography investigation, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.

John Michael Musbach pleaded guilty in February in Camden federal court before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to using the internet with the intent that a murder be committed. Rodriguez on Tuesday sentenced Musbach to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and fined him $30,000.

In the summer of 2015, Musbach started exchanging sexually explicit photos and videos online with the boy, then 13. That September, the teen’s parents found out and told police in New York, where they lived.

In March 2016, authorities in Atlantic County arrested Musbach on child pornography charges and executed a search warrant at his residence, then in Galloway Township. Musbach pleaded guilty the following year to endangering the welfare of a child.

But while the case was still active, Musbach attempted to hire a hit man online to prevent the teen from testifying against him. He paid $20,000 in bitcoin to a website that claimed to offer murder-for-hire services, then was asked to come up with more money.

When Musbach asked for a refund, the website’s operator revealed the site to be a scam and tried to blackmail Musbach.

Federal agents discovered Musbach’s online activity in 2019, prosecutors said, and he was charged in 2020.

Musbach’s lawyer, Rocco C. Cipparone Jr., said in an emailed statement that he was pleased with the judge’s sentence, which was less than the eight years sought by prosecutors, or the 10-year maximum. Cipparone said he presented evidence that Musbach had “long-existing development deficits documented since early childhood” and the judge “appropriately credited the mitigating information we put forth.”