Would-be hitman arrested in NYC murder plot involving latex mask disguise, feds say
Federal authorities arrested a Maine man who planned to wear a full-size latex mask he'd asked undercover FBI agents to provide while committing the murder of a Manhattan businessman.
Hyunkook Korsiak was arrested on Wednesday night in a hotel parking lot after undercover FBI agents handed him $25,000 in cash to commit the murder, said a federal criminal complaint.
Korsiak, 41, was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer 9MM pistol in a black holster and the $25,0000 in cash upon his arrest, the complaint said. His car, a gray Chevrolet Malibu, which he drove down from Maine for the alleged murder, contained a small arsenal of weapons: AR-15 rifles, 9MM pistols, a bullet-resistant vest; and hundreds of rounds of various caliber ammunition, the complaint said.
Also found was a full-size latex mask Korsiak had requested during an earlier meeting and was planning on wearing during the murder to disguise himself, the complaint said. Korsiak had tried on the mask "to ensure" it fit properly, and would be sure to leave the mask behind, the complaint said.
The complaint said that federal agents targeted Korsiak as the man for the job after the Bureau of Prisons intercepted communications in which he allegedly said he wanted to make money for killing someone. Korisak has a lengthy criminal record in Maine. In 2011, he served more than two years in state prison, according to local court records, and in 2018 Korsiak was sentenced to 52 months for stealing guns, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maine. He was released in November 2021, according to prison records.
Undercover agents posing as members of a "transnational criminal organization" approached Korsiak in August 2022 to murder the fictitious businessman in a Manhattan hotel, the complaint said.
"This person comes to New York and doesn't leave breathing," an undercover agent said doing one of their conversations, the complaint said, and Korsiak agreed, saying "You just tell me where to go and what to do and you know I can make that happen."
Earlier this year, Korsiak met undercover agents to coordinate plot details, the complaint said. He was allegedly given $5,000 in expense money, and he would clean the inside of the car with a pressurized bleach spray to remove any forensic evidence, the complaint said. Korsiak wanted to know if the cameras in the hotel were "obvious" or if were any hidden behind "two-way glass," the complaint said.
He also asked to be provided with silencers and a police uniform to use during the murder-for-hire, the complaint said.
Korsiak is charged with one count of murder-for-hire and one count of possession of a firearm.