A Georgia doctor pleaded guilty to hiring a hitman on the dark web to murder his girlfriend.
Dr James Wan, a 54-year-old resident of Duluth, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder his girlfriend. Court documents revealed that he accessed the dark web marketplace through his cell phone and placed an order for the services of a hitman.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan emphasized that Wan intentionally used the dark web to shroud his deadly intentions. Wan’s murder scheme was intercepted by FBI officials before any harm was inflicted on the victim.
Atlanta FBI Special Agent Keri Farley confirmed that Dr. Wan would now face the full force of the justice system. Wan pleaded guilty to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire.
Wan’s sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2024, before the U.S. District Courts. The matter is still under investigation by the FBI.
Hiring a Hitman on the Dark Web
Here’s the reality: Hiring a hitman on the darknet? It’s pretty much a Darknet urban legend. If you find one, it’s most likely one of two things:
A Honeypot: This is where the police set up a fake website to lure potential criminals. It’s like a digital trap, and if you wander into it, you might end up in some hot water instead of finding a hitman.
A Scam: Sadly, this is far more common. The so-called hitmen are often just scammers looking to grab your hard-earned crypto. They make promises they never intend to keep and disappear with your funds.
On April 18th 2022, Dr James Wan placed an order on the dark web marketplace to exterminate his girlfriend. The order provided details such as the victim’s name, license plate, Facebook account, address, and description of the vehicle.
Wan’s order on the dark web included the directive, “Can take wallet, phone, and car. Shoot and go. Or take car”. In order to facilitate this contract, he electronically transferred a 50% down payment to the marketplace, valued at approximately $8,000 worth of Bitcoin.”
Several days later, Wan proceeded to contact the darknet marketplace’s administrator, arguing that his transfer didn’t appear in his marketplace account. The administrator asked for the Bitcoin address used for payment, which Wan provided through a screenshot of the transaction.
The administrator of the site duly replied that the address had not appeared on their system. While this would have look like a scam to almost anyone.
Dr Wan replied, “Damn. I guess I lost $8k. I’m sending $8k to escrow now.”
He then sent an additional $8,000 worth of Bitcoin to the marketplace. The administrator received the funds and proceeded to place his hitman order.§
Upon uploading the order, the administrator asked whether he wanted the murder to look like an “accident or normal shooting.” Undoubtedly, Wan wanted the murder to seem as if it was an accident and replied, “Accident is better”.
On April 29, 2022, Wan transferred the remaining $8,000 worth of Bitcoin to the dark web marketplace. He wanted to ensure that his accounts escrow held the necessary funds required for the job.
Wan even went as far as to enquire about the timing and progress of the order on the dark web forum. He asked members on the forum whether anyone in his location could provide him with an update.
On May 10, 2022, the value of Bitcoin decreased, which led Wan to make an additional payment of $1,200 in Bitcoin to his marketplace escrow. Wan wanted to ensure the value of his order remained appropriately funded.
Wan’s dark web marketplace murder-to-hire scheme soon became apparent to FBI agents. The murder-to-hire scheme forced their immediate action as agents alerted the victim of the threat against her life.
It’s unclear how FBI agents became aware of the order placed on the victim’s life. However, under interrogation, Wan admittedly confessed to placing the order, making payments, and monitoring the progress of the order.
FBI agents were able to corroborate Wan’s confession through his cell phone records and Bitcoin wallet address. Wan’s cell phone records revealed the sinister conversation with the dark web marketplace administrator.
Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta stated
“Despite his cowardly concealment on the dark web, Wan’s cold hearted murderous plot was averted due to the exceptional work of our team. This case shows that the FBI will not tolerate heinous acts of violence and will go to great lengths to protect our citizens.”
Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta
Wan’s Darknet marketplace order was subsequently removed by FBI agents after he confessed to the heinous murder scheme. The victim has since been placed in protective custody by FBI agents.
Charges
Following the successful interrogation of Dr James Wan, Atlanta FBI agents charged him with one count of using a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire.
The United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia confirmed that Wan’s sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2024, before the U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May.
Hey there, I’m a dark web geek who’s been around for the last 8 years. More precisely, I’m livedarknet’s senior content writer who’s been writing about darknet marketplaces, tutorials, and cybersecurity stuff for educational purposes.