Podiatrist Wants Take-Back On Guilty Plea

Rockland podiatrist Ira Bernstein and his lover Kelly Myzner Grideluk, subjects of Dateline NBC episode “The Target,” were accused in 2016 of elaborate plots to kill Bernstein's wife and beat up two health insurance investigators to prevent them from finding fraud at his office. They both pleaded guilty in 2017.

Now Bernstein's attorney has filed papers asking the Appellate Court to vacate the guilty plea so that Bernstein can have a trial on the murder conspiracy.

According to news reports, Bernstein now says he was pressured into pleading guilty by Grideluk, who didn't want to lose her plea deal. He says he never wanted to kill his wife and that the whole plan was Grideluk's, the Daily Voice reported.

It's a parting of the ways for the lovers, who kissed and hugged before they were sentenced in 2017, according to The Journal News. Bernstein, 43, was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison. Gribulek, 36, received a sentence of four to 12 years.

At the sentencing, Bernstein's wife Susan said he had threatened to murder her before, TJN reported.

PHOTO/ Ramapo Police

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