A Georgia doctor has been sentenced to more than seven years after he hired a hitman on the dark web to murder his girlfriend.
Dr. James Wan, 54, received his prison sentence on Thursday in federal court after pleading guilty to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire.
A Duluth doctor convicted of using a dark web service to hire someone to kill his girlfriend was sentenced to serve time in federal prison. https://t.co/QyNWe1cWPB
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) January 19, 2024
“This defendant believed he could mask his homicidal intentions by using electronic means. By using the dark web to conceal his search for someone to kill his girlfriend, Wan expected to evade detection, even going as far as using cryptocurrency to pay for the crime,” US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement.
Wan, an internal medicine specialist, transferred more than $16,000 in Bitcoin to the dark web in an attempt to hire someone to murder his girlfriend. The FBI discovered his scheme in time, and she was not harmed.
While the woman’s name was not disclosed in court documents, it’s said that she was in a long-term relationship with the Georgia doctor. They lived together in Duluth, Georgia, where they had a young daughter. Before Wan’s arrest, he practiced medicine in Lawrenceville, even though he was fired after his arrest in 2022.
According to transcripts, prosecutors say the FBI was first made aware of the hitman scheme through a tipster who monitors posts on a dark web marketplace and alerts authorities about solicitations for murder that seem credible and dangerous. The tipster’s name was protected by the courts to use them for future investigations.
“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. This sentencing shows that the FBI will not tolerate heinous acts of violence and will go to great lengths to protect our citizens,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
James Wan has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He was convicted on October 17, 2023, after pleading guilty to charges.
