Sentencing In Green Card Marriage That Ended In Attempted Murder

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The woman who used a straight razor to slit the wrist of a New Rochelle senior she married to illegally obtain U.S. citizenship was sentenced to spend the next 15 years behind bars.

Olivia Raimo was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison, with five years of post-release supervision on her plea of guilty to felony attempted murder in the second degree, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today.

On Jan. 24, 2020, while in the victim’s New Rochelle home, Raimo pushed the 74-year-old victim, wedging him between the toilet seat and a wall, and then slit his wrist with a straight razor. A home health aide, who was refused entry by Raimo, called the New Rochelle Police Department. Police entered the home after they heard the victim screaming from the bathroom.

The victim was taken to Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, where he underwent two surgeries to reattach the tendons in his arm. The attack resulted in the victim losing all function in his hand.

Raimo and the victim married in 2017.

The violent attack happened just after Raimo, who was not a U.S. citizen, and the victim met with an attorney to prepare for an interview with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to demonstrate their marriage was legitimate. During the meeting, they were told that they would have a hard time passing their marriage interview.

New Rochelle Police arrested Raimo on February 11, 2020, following an investigation.

Raimo pleaded guilty to attempted murder on Nov. 15, 2021.

"Violent acts are particularly heinous when they target the elderly," Rocah said at the time, vowing that her office will continue to work with law enforcement to pursue justice for all vulnerable victims of crime.