Dr. James Wan, a physician from Georgia, confessed to using Bitcoin in a murder-for-hire scheme on the dark web, aiming to stage his girlfriend’s death as a carjacking accident.
The plot, initiated in April 2022, involved multiple Bitcoin payments that amounted to roughly $24,200. Dr. Wan believed the pseudonymous nature of Bitcoin would keep his actions hidden.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Dr. Wan started planning his girlfriend’s murder meticulously, providing extensive information, from her Facebook account to her car’s description. However, his initial transaction of a 50% down payment, approximately $8,000 worth of Bitcoin, was sent to an incorrect wallet address.
After a week, Dr. Wan executed another transaction of $8,000 in Bitcoin to the correct escrow wallet. Despite his careful planning and impatient inquiries about the progress of the contract, the murder was never executed.
Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, applauded the efforts of her team in thwarting the plot. She stated that despite Dr. Wan’s attempts to hide on the dark web, “his cold-hearted murderous plot was averted.”
Dr. Wan is now awaiting sentencing in a federal court set for January 2024. This incident adds to a growing list of cases involving cryptocurrency in attempted crimes, reflecting the misuse of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous nature.
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