Dateline NBC‘s episode titled “Hit List” will look into ex-NYPD officer Valerie Cincinelli’s alleged murder-for-hire plot. According to The New York Times, Cincinelli allegedly enlisted her then-boyfriend John DiRubba to hire a hitman to kill her estranged husband Isaiah Carvalho Jr. in 2019. She allegedly also intended to get DiRubba’s teenage daughter murdered. The upcoming episode will air on the network this Friday, March 29, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET.
Per the outlet, prosecutors alleged Cincinelli was in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with Carvalho when she gave DiRubba $7,000 in February 2019. The money was to hire a hitman to kill her estranged husband as well as DiRubba’s daughter, whom she grew resentful of. Instead, DiRubba informed the FBI about the scheme and became their source. Eventually, the FBI made Carvalho fake his own death as part of a sign operation, which led to her arrest.
In April 2021, Valerie Cincinelli pleaded to one count of obstruction of justice stemming from the alleged unsuccessful murder-for-hire. CBS News reported that she received a 48-month sentence in federal prison in October of that year.
Federal prison records show that Cincinelli was released on October 12, 2022.
Did Valerie Cincinelli’s estranged husband, Isaiah Carvalho, fake his own death?
CBS News reported that Valerie Cincinelli’s now ex-husband, Isaiah Carvalho, claimed the FBI made him fake his death as part of a sting operation. Carvalho said they staged a crime scene to make it seem like someone had attacked him.
Per The New York Post, Carvalho told Inside Edition, “[FBI agents] took glass and they put it all over on the floor.” They told him “to sit in the car” and “to hunch over into the passenger seat. Carvalho described the operation as “absolutely insane.” He said, “It was the craziest thing I ever had to experience.”
According to The New York Times report, authorities contacted Cincinelli to inform her about Carvalho’s murder investigation. An undercover FBI agent, posing as the hitman who killed her estranged husband, then sent a photograph of the staged crime scene to her boyfriend, John DiRubba. The latter shared the photograph with her.
Cincinelli then contacted DiRubba to arrange alibis and allegedly told him to delete messages from his phone. In May 2019, authorities arrested her into custody and charged her with the use of interstate commerce for murder for hire. This resulted in Cincinelli’s suspension from the NYPD without pay. Then, in March 2021, she later resigned from the police department.
John DiRubba had previously contacted the feds and informed them about Valerie Cincinelli’s alleged murder-for-hire plot. In February 2019, Cincinelli had allegedly asked DiRubba to hire a hitman to kill her estranged husband, Isaiah Carvalho. The two were in the middle of a contentious divorce and custody battle at the time. Moreover, she wanted the hitman to kill DiRubba’s teenage daughter after growing resentful of the girl.
Cincinelli allegedly gave DiRubba $7000, which he then converted into gold coins to pay the hitman. However, DiRubba got in touch with the FBI and became a source for them. He recorded incriminating conversations between them in the following months. In those conversations, Cincinelli allegedly discussed in detail her supposed murder-for-hire scheme.
The outlet reported that prosecutors dismissed the two counts of murder-for-hire against Valerie Cincinelli as part of her plea deal. The New York Post stated that Isaiah Carvalho slammed the deal, calling it a “free pass” for Cincinelli. Carvalho told the court, “I truly believe she will find someone to finish the job [when she gets out].”
In April 2021, Cincinelli pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and received a four-year prison sentence. Per CBS, at the time of her sentencing, she had already served 30 months in prison and has since been released.
Dateline NBC‘s episode on the case against Valerie Cincinelli for alleged murder-for-hire plot airs on March 29, 2024.
