Bank Manager Who Hired Hitman To Kill Her Brother-In-Law Gets Prison

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — A former bank manager will do federal time for a disastrous murder-for-hire scheme.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Wednesday that Reshma Massarone was sentenced on Tuesday to 114 months in prison for plotting to hire a hitman to murder her brother-in-law.

She previously pled guilty to murder-for-hire before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, who imposed the sentence.

"The defendant devised a chilling plan to have a member of her own family murdered for the low price of ten thousand dollars," Williams said. "Her plan was unthinkably heartless. For this depraved crime, Reshma Massarone will spend 114 months in federal prison."

According to court documents, between July 20, 2023, and August 16, 2023, Massarone plotted with a person to hire a hitman to murder her brother-in-law, in exchange for $10,000. However, the person she was plotting with was a member of a foreign police force, and he became an undercover law enforcement agent to develop evidence against Massarone.

Massarone exchanged dozens of messages on social media and had phone calls with the undercover agent, asking him to murder her brother-in-law or hire someone who would.

In Facebook Messenger communications, when the undercover agent told Massarone that the plan to murder her brother-in-law was set for the next day, she responded that if he "take[s] care of business," then he would get paid. Massarone also told the undercover agent that she had other "jobs" for him, and swore on her kids' lives that the person would get paid if he "[got] rid" of her brother-in-law for her. After that, she told the person, "No more text."

As part of her plan, Massarone wired $2,500 to the undercover agent to give to the hitman as a down payment for the murder. Video surveillance at a Western Union captured Massarone counting 25 $100 bills, for a total amount of $2,500.

After she wired the money to the undercover agent, Massarone continued to plan her brother-in-law's murder. When the agent told Massarone that the hitman’s plan was to shoot her brother-in-law and that there was "no turning back," Massarone replied, "Right. No turning back."

As time passed and her brother-in-law was never murdered, Massarone became impatient and urged the undercover agent to murder her brother-in-law, suggesting that "rat poison can do a great job." She also told the agent, "You is all talk and no action," and "Come on do the thing and I will take care of you."

Massarone then threatened to find someone else to murder her brother-in-law, telling the undercover agent, "Either way, if I find somebody to do the job you’re going to get blame, so cut the bullshit and let’s get it done."

In addition to the prison sentence, 40-year-old Massarone, of Pine Bush, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Williams praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the NYPD, the New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service.