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Former NYPD officer sentenced to 48 months in prison for role in murder-to-hire plot

Valerie Cincinelli pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for deleting information off an iPhone.

News 12 Staff

Oct 29, 2021, 5:34 PM

Updated 1,139 days ago

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A former NYPD officer from Oceanside was sentenced to 48 months in prison for her involvement in a murder-for-hire plot.
Valerie Cincinelli pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for deleting information off an iPhone.
Cincinelli was arrested in 2019 and accused of asking her boyfriend to hire a hitman to kill her estranged husband, Isaiah Carvalho, and her boyfriend's 13-year-old daughter.
In court, Carvalho called Cincinelli a "cruel, selfish and narcissistic sociopath." He asked the judge to sentence her to the maximum 60 months in prison because he fears for his life when she is released.
Carvalho's attorney Dennis Lemke says his client believes that Cincinelli could pull something down the road when she gets out.
"Now the frustration kicks in again," Lemke says. "Maybe she's not seeing her son when she likes to see [him]. What does she got to lose?"
As part of the plea deal, federal prosecutors agreed to drop the two murder-for-hire charges.
But they pushed for the maximum 60 months sentence.
Cincinelli pleaded with Judge Joanna Seybert for leniency, saying "I'm apologizing from the bottom of my heart...I can't believe I got to that dark place."
Judge Seybert sentenced Cincinelli to 48 months in prison. With 30 months already served and eligibility for home confinement, she could be released from prison in six months.
Lemke says they are disappointed with the ruling but understand where the judge is coming from.
Cincinelli's attorney Joseph Kousouros says they were very pleased with the result.
"The murder-for-hire charges were dismissed and the judge understood the circumstances surrounding what happened here and rendered a sentence that was far less than the government asked for," Kousouros says.
Judge Seybert urged Cincinelli to seek her estranged husband's forgiveness, but Lemke says the murder plot is unforgivable.
"I don't think he's looking to forgive," Lemke says.
News 12 contacted prosecutors to find out why the murder-for-hire charges were dropped.
A spokesman said they had no comment on charging decisions.