'Guilty:' Spouses Convicted of Killing Wife's Ex-Husband, Carjacking

BEACON, NY — A married couple who killed the wife's ex-husband will face justice despite a complex cover-up and the body never having been found.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Friday that a jury found Jamie Orsini and Nicholas Orsini, guilty of carjacking resulting in death and conspiracy to commit carjacking. The Orsinis were found guilty following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.

"Over four years ago, in Beacon, New York, Jamie and Nicholas Orsini killed Jamie's ex-husband, Steven Kraft, and engaged in a sophisticated scheme to hide their crime," Williams said. "Indeed, Kraft’s body still has not been found. For more than four years, Kraft's family has waited for justice. Their wait is now over. With its verdict, the jury has now held Kraft's ex-wife — Jamie Orsini — and her husband — Nicholas Orsini — responsible for that murder and subsequent cover-up. This should serve as a lesson: if you commit a crime — if you commit a murder — it does not matter how well you cover your tracks, or how successfully you think you destroyed the evidence, law enforcement will not give up, and the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners will never stop investigating and prosecuting these righteous cases. If any member of the public has information that they wish to share with us about any unsolved murder, then we encourage you to come forward."

According to court records, in 2020, Jamie and Nicholas Orsini plotted the murder of Jamie Orsini's ex-husband, Steven Kraft. Prosecutors say that as part of the murder, the Orsinis planned a sophisticated cover-up, involving burner phones, the movement of Kraft's car to Newburgh, and the destruction and disposal of all physical evidence.

The Orsinis purchased items, including a 1,000-square-foot tarp and a full-body coverall, to allow them to commit the crimes and dispose of evidence. In addition, they repeatedly practiced "dry runs" for how they would move Kraft's car, and they purchased a "burner phone" which could not be traced back to them.

On April 28, 2020, after Kraft dropped his daughters off in Beacon with the Orsinis, who had custody of the children, the Orsinis killed Kraft and took his car and cellphone. Nicholas Orsini then drove the car into Newburgh, leaving it in a high-crime neighborhood. He also got rid of Kraft’s cellphone, and used the burner phone to call a taxi to bring him back to Beacon, throwing the burner phone out before getting into the taxi.

After the murder, the Orsinis managed to destroy or dispose of evidence, including Kraft’s body. They bought a new burner phone to use when they repeatedly drove to and from upstate New York, and created large homemade incinerators.

Jamie Orsini sent multiple text messages to make it look like she believed that her ex-husband was still alive. In addition, while professing ignorance with police, she still kept hinting that if Kraft perhaps went to Newburgh after leaving her home, something might have happened to him there.

SEE ALSO: Former Beacon Husband, Wife Plotted And Killed Ex-Spouse: Feds

38-year-old Jamie Orsini and 36-year-old Nichola Orsini, both of Amsterdam, were each convicted of: carjacking resulting in death which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and participating in a conspiracy to commit carjacking which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Williams praised the work of the FBI and the New York State Police, which also supported the prosecution through trial. He also thanked the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, the City of Beacon Police Department, the Town of Marlborough Police Department, and the City of Newburgh Police Department.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaiya Arroyo, Michael D. Maimin, and Kathryn P. Wheelock are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Shannon Becker and Liam Ronan.

If anyone has information related to the Orsinis, or the location of Steven Kraft’s body, they are asked to report the information at this link.