A medical doctor has admitted that he paid the hitman $25,000 in bitcoins to kill his girlfriend

A medical doctor has pleaded guilty to using the dark web in a murder-for-hire plot against his girlfriend.

The man paid a total of more than $25,000 worth of bitcoins to carry out the assassination plot, which was denied by authorities.

$25,200 in Bitcoin for a murder plot

According to a press release issued by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), 54-year-old Dr. James Wan, a resident of Georgia, tried to hire the services of a hitman in the dark web market to kill his girlfriend.

On April 12, 2022, the medical doctor began contacting the dark web marketplace and ordered him to kill his girlfriend. Wan transferred half of the full payment of $8,000 in BTC to an escrow wallet and provided his girlfriend's personal information: her name, Facebook account, address, and car license plate.

However, the first 50% advance payment went to the wrong BTC address, prompting the doctor to transfer another $8,000 worth of bitcoins, this time to the correct address. Wan sent another $8,000 bitcoin payment a week later to complete the payment for the job and chose not to pretend the killing was an accident.

The medical doctor, on the other hand, seemed impatient to have the execution done as quickly as possible.

“How quickly should the work be done? I placed an order and I'm curious to know how quickly it should be done? Is there any way I can find out about any progress? If there is someone in my position?”

According to the DOJ report, Wan sent an additional $1,200 in Bitcoin following the BTC price drop.

More individuals paying in BTC for murder

Unfortunately for the doctor, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stopped the execution and Wan pleaded guilty and canceled his order on the dark web market. His sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2024.

In a statement released by Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta, Kerry Farley:

“Despite hiding fearlessly on the dark web, Wan's cold-hearted murder plot was foiled thanks to the exceptional work of our team. Now the criminal justice system will face the full consequences.

Meanwhile, Wan is not the only individual who paid Hitman in BTC to kill someone. In the year In August 2022, a Mississippi woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for hiring a hitman to kill her husband. The woman paid $10,000 BTC to do the job.

Another medical doctor was sentenced to eight years in prison for paying victims BTC worth more than $60,000 to kidnap his wife and beat up a former colleague. Another individual was sentenced to six years in prison for paying a hitman with Bitcoin to kill a child.