DULUTH, Ga. — A metro Atlanta doctor pleaded guilty, the federal prosecutors announced Tuesday, to a "cold-hearted murderous plot" that involved hiring a hitman on the dark web to kill his girlfriend.
According to the Atlanta U.S. Attorney's Office, Dr. James Wan submitted an order on a dark web marketplace in 2022 for the killing of his girlfriend - even providing specific preferences for how the killing could be done.
“Can take wallet phone and car. Shoot and go. Or take car," the 54-year-old Duluth man's instructions included. He provided his girlfriend's name and address, license plate and car description and Facebook account, as well.
He also later contacted the administrator of the marketplace in asking about his payment, a release said, and was asked whether he wanted the murder to appear accidental or as a "normal shooting."
He responded: "Accident is better."
Prosecutors said Wan, after submitting the order, transferred roughly $8,000 in Bitcoin to the marketplace as a 50% down payment on April 18, 2022. Less than two weeks after the first payment, he transferred another $8,000 of Bitcoin to complete the order (he also provided another $8,000 at one point, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, because his first payment went to the wrong account, as well as another $1,200 in May 2022 to make up for a drop in the value of Bitcoin at that time.)
The FBI learned of the plot, the release said, and Wan was questioned - admitting he placed the order for a hit, made payments and "checked the status of the order daily on the dark web marketplace." It was not detailed how the FBI discovered Wan's activity.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Wan pleaded guilty to one count of "using a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire" and he will be sentenced on Jan. 18, 2024.
"Despite his cowardly concealment on the dark web, Wan’s cold-hearted murderous plot was averted due to the exceptional work of our team. He will now face the full consequences of the criminal justice system,” Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement. “This case shows that the FBI will not tolerate heinous acts of violence and will go to great lengths to protect our citizens.”
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan called it a "deadly plan" that fortunately "was discovered before anyone was killed or injured."
