Law&Crime confirmed that a former New York City officer who pleaded guilty on Friday to obstruction of an investigation into a “violent” and “brazen” plot for murder-for-hire received a four-year sentence.
Valerie Cincinelli, then-NYPD officer, was working with Queens’ domestic violence unit when a grand juror indicted her. She had allegedly hired a contract killer in order to kill her husband Isaiah Carvalho as well as her girlfriend’s daughter. Cincinelli deleted all text messages that were related to the plot.
Cincinelli was initially charged with two murder-for hire charges, but she pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.
Cincinelli’s boyfriend John DiRubba provided recordings to the FBI.
Cincinelli’s defense team argued that dropping murder-for-hire charges shows the weakness of those accusations, which her lawyer characterized as scorned lover’s revenge.
In a defense memo, James Kousouros, her attorney wrote that Ms. Cincinelli spoke in a “broken and compromised” state and directed dangerous words at John DiRubba’s child. She was upset, distraught and angry at DiRubba when she had these conversations. DiRubba was the one who created the platform and platform for the nefarious conversations. However, the evidence clearly shows she didn’t pay him to hire hitmen and she never believed he would.
Federal prosecutors stated in a sentencing memo that they wanted a five year sentence and said that there was “little doubt” about Cincinelli’s intentions.
The memo stated that the audio and video evidence in the case, none of which is disputed, “reveal the astonishing detail in which Cincinelli planned the murders.” Contrary to defendant’s claims, the recordings show that defendant was determined to kill her husband and her boyfriend’s teenage girl by a hitman. The recordings also prove that she destroyed evidence in order to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Prosecutors cite extensively from conversations between Cincinelli, DiRubba in the brief. This includes a conversation on May 8, 2019, when the boyfriend can be heard telling DiRubba, “It’s coming to happen this weekend.”
“I hope so,” Cincinelli says.
The transcript contains snippets that show her frustration at the time it took.
Cincinelli: It’s like we’ve been discussing this for like a whole year. So I don’t understand, like . . .
DiRubba, No, we talked about you not liking her, you didn’t like my daughter at all, you discussed it, but this is a serious matter right now, that’s the problem and it’s going to get solved.
Cincinelli : It sounds like you have a problem. It’s not a problem for me.
DiRubba also warned that it would be “very suspicious” for his daughter to find her husband dead within a weekend. So Cincinelli suggested stabbing the murders.
DiRubba: Don’t you think they’re going to be looking for me afterwards asking me fucking questions, “Oh your daughter was just killed, uh, where are you?” And then you’re going to get a phone call, “Your soon-to-be-ex-husband . . . was just killed, were you the fuck?
Cincinelli: Ok, I’ll tell you where the fuck is going to be.
Cincinelli and Carvalho discussed alibis on May 13, 2019. Cincinelli suggested that someone had killed Carvalho, her husband who sold fireworks, in a bungled bank robbery.
DiRubba: Was it fireworks that killed him? . . .
Cincinelli: The money you make from selling them is not yours.
DiRubba: How would you describe someone who robbed you?
Cincinelli:
DiRubba’s child, Cincinelli, according to prosecutors, harbored “deeply-seated jealousy, resentment” towards her. She described the 13-year old as a “dickrider,” a “cunt,” a “slut” and “whore.” Cincinelli also cyberstalked the girl, performing 130 different internet searches.
