Former NYPD Officer Valerie Cincinelli Sentenced To 48 Months In Murder-For-Hire Plot
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Valeria Cincinelli, the former NYPD officer accused of plotting to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband and her boyfriend's teenage daughter, was sentenced to 48 months Friday.
Cincinelli had pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and apologized to the court for her behavior, CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported.
Isaiah Carvalho wouldn't comment, but told the federal judge he fears his ex-wife will finish the job. He asked for the maximum five year sentence.
"People get angry, 'I wish you were dead' and so forth. That's one thing. That's not what went on here. When you start paying money and you wind up starting, basically, working something out and you hire a hitman... He's gonna be looking over his shoulder," said Carvalho's attorney Dennis Lemke.
The once decorated cop broke down in court. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart," "I acknowledge I was wrong, I accept responsibility," Cincinelli said.
"I think her tears are because she got caught. I don't think they're because she's remorseful," Lemke said.
In 2019, Cincinelli was caught plotting with her boyfriend to kill her ex-husband to cut him out of her police pension. The scheme included killing her boyfriend's 13-year-old daughter "out of sheer jealousy and personal hatred."
The boyfriend went to the FBI, which staged her ex's death. Cincinelli was caught plotting on tape and in texts. She was caught on a hidden camera being told the hit was complete.
Cincinelli told the judge, "I can't believe I allowed myself to get to that dark place. I never thought in a million years it was going to happen. I was deeply, deeply damaged at that time. I was not thinking clearly."
Her lawyer called her a good person who became unhinged.
"She never intended that he would actually do that. Look, she never believed that he would actually do anything like that," said defense attorney James Kousouras.
Cincinelli said she will use the time to work on toxic relationships and anger management.
Cincinelli has already served 30 months. With time off for good behavior, she could be home in six months.
Editor's note: This story was first published Oct. 29.