Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Trying to Hire Someone to Kill a Witness in a Federal Case

BOSTON, MA—A former Attleboro resident was sentenced today in federal court on charges arising from his effort to hire a hit man to kill twelve potential witnesses in a federal case.

Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Office, announced today that JAMES BUNCHAN, age 59, formerly of Attleboro, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 300 months' imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. BUNCHAN was convicted by a federal jury on May 5, 2009 of using the U.S. mails to commission a murder for hire and of soliciting a violent federal crime.

Evidence presented during the six day trial proved that in the summer of 2006 BUNCHAN, while an inmate at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility pending trial in a major federal fraud case, asked another inmate to help him find a hit man to kill the people BUNCHAN expected to testify at his fraud trial. The inmate contacted the FBI, who set up a sting operation in which the inmate tried to introduce BUNCHAN to an undercover agent posing as a hit man. Video and audio recordings showed BUNCHAN carefully reviewing the people he suspected would be the "star witnesses" in his case and deciding, in each instance, whether to have only the witness killed, or family members as well, including grandparents and children.

The evidence also showed that BUNCHAN considered having the prosecutor on his fraud case killed, or framed for drug dealing, as well. BUNCHAN eventually sent a letter to the supposed hit man offering $160,000 in exchange for the murder of 12 people, although the prosecutor assigned to BUNCHAN’s fraud case was never put on the final hit list.

Acting United States Attorney Michael K. Loucks said, “James Bunchan is one of the most evil defendants that we have ever prosecuted in this District. The evidence of his cold and calculated attempt to kill witnesses in a case against him, and his consideration of killing a federal prosecutor, is chilling. Fortunately, Bunchan was not able to follow through with his plan. We are pleased that the Court recognized the severity of this case and sentenced Bunchan accordingly.”

Judge Woodlock sentenced BUNCHAN to the maximum possible penalty under the two statutes of conviction.

BUNCHAN’s underlying fraud case, in which he was convicted after trial in June 2007, involved a large Ponzi scheme in which BUNCHAN and others defrauded about 400 victims, mostly Cambodian immigrants, of about $30 million dollars. BUNCHAN is presently serving a 35-year term for that offense.

The murder for hire case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from security personnel at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility and MCI Cedar Junction. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew E. Lelling and William J. Trach of Loucks’ Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Unit.