A former Anchorage emergency room doctor and medical clinic owner facing sexual abuse charges is back in jail on $10 million bail after an FBI informant dubbed "the Bull" recorded him trying to arrange the murder of at least one of his four alleged sex abuse victims, according to a new complaint filed in the case.
Clifford Merchant, 68, already faced 33 criminal counts when law enforcement picked him up again last month. Those charges include first- and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and possession of child pornography. They stem from incidents between 2001 and 2013 said to have taken place at Merchant's home in South Anchorage, his plane and his cabin at Shell Lake near Skwentna, according to the indictment.
An Alaska State Trooper investigator filed a new affidavit in a complaint against Merchant on Nov. 23, detailing the physician's efforts to hire a hit man.
The FBI informant referred to as "the Bull" in court documents told authorities about Merchant's alleged contract-killing plot when he was arrested on an outstanding warrant, according to a motion to forfeit bail filed by Assistant District Attorney Brittany Dunlop, who is prosecuting the child sex abuse case.
"The Bull" contacted the FBI after his arrest and agreed to cooperate in the Merchant case, according to the motion. He initially was introduced to Merchant in early 2015 at Merchant's Urgent Care health clinic by a woman who, according to the complaint, helped in the alleged plot to murder sex abuse victims.
" 'The Bull' stated Merchant asked (him) if (he) could kill the witnesses in Merchant's case," the affidavit said, elaborating that "Merchant wanted (the Bull) to kill a girl he molested and her family who are living in Florida."
Merchant, the Bull and the woman met again in September, after the Bull was already working with federal agents. In a phone conversation on Sept. 3, the hit man asked the woman if Merchant "still needs me?"
"Yeah, he still wants that ... he still wants you to do that if you can. If you can you know," the woman is quoted as saying in the affidavit.
On Sept. 14, the woman told the Bull that Merchant had put some money away for the job, according to the complaint.
The three met again about two weeks later, when the woman drove the hit man in what she thought would be an untraceable rental car to the house of Merchant's third-party custodian, according to the complaint. Merchant was out of jail after earlier posting $75,000 bail, which was reduced from $500,000 over the objection of the state.
Merchant told the informant his third-party custodian went for a walk, but if he returned they'd move their conversation to a barn on the property, which they eventually did, the complaint says. The Bull was wearing audio and video recording equipment during the meeting.
"While in the barn Merchant asks the (informant) what the rate is for 'something like that' referring to killing someone," AST investigator Sherry Ferno wrote in the affidavit, with the Bull telling him it would cost $30,000.
"Merchant says he is a little short on cash right now but will have to get some more (money) to handle that amount. Merchant stated he had to be careful when he moves or takes out money. His attorneys have control of his money," Ferno wrote.
Dunlop, the prosecutor, noted in her motion that Merchant appeared to hesitate based on the price, but told the informant he needed to get "all the pieces in place." Merchant gave the Bull $1,000 to get things started and to compensate him for his time, including traveling to Alaska from the Lower 48, she wrote.
After the meeting, the woman drove the informant to the Anchorage airport. She provided him with a slip of paper indicating the names of two of Merchant's alleged sex abuse victims, as well as where they lived out of state and their places of employment, according to the motion. The complaint says the two also had a conversation about whether or not to make the deaths appear accidental.
Despite her actions to that point, the woman stated she didn't want to get involved in the murders, according to the complaint. Dunlop said the woman is currently in custody on federal drug conspiracy charges. She said she could not talk about potential state charges related to the murder-for-hire allegations.
But Dunlop said in a phone interview earlier Wednesday that prosecutors are contemplating filing a new criminal case against Merchant for solicitation of murder. For now, his most recent arrest is based on breaking his conditions of release -- he contacted one of his victims and was outside the presence of his third-party custodian.
The prosecutor's motion also notes that "apparently" during a follow-up conversation with the woman, Merchant said he didn't want the killing to take place.
"What is unclear is whether Dr. Merchant has attempted to contract with anyone else, or has fully renounced his intent to have his victims killed," Dunlop wrote.
Following an arraignment on Nov. 24, Merchant's bail was set at $10 million, according to court notes.