Kriti Mehrotra
The bizarre tale of an NYPD cop accused of concocting a murder-for-hire plan against her then-husband — and her then-boyfriend’s daughter — is one that shook the nation back in 2019. After all, as explored on NBC’s ‘Dateline: Hit List,’ Valerie Cincinelli was seemingly desperate to have Isaiah Carvalho as well as the teen girl killed, only for her partner John DiRubba to rat her out. So now, if you wish to learn more about Valerie’s background, her alleged offenses, her involvement in the legal proceedings, and her current whereabouts, we’ve got the details for you.
Who is Valerie Cincinelli?
Valerie Cincinelli joined the police force when she was in her early 20s back in 2007, following which it appeared as if she dedicated herself to not just her job but also her family. She got married, gave birth to a daughter, and essentially looked like a good wife/mother from the outside. However, things started to change once her first husband filed for a restraining order against her in 2014. Sometime around that, Valerie tied the knot with Isaiah Carvalho Jr. and later welcomed a son with him. Yet, even in this marriage, the domestic incidents reportedly persisted as the years passed.
In fact, in 2017, due to the troubles in her personal life, Valerie was placed on modified duty (stripped of her badge and firearm) — working as a domestic violence officer in the 106th Precinct in Queens. Despite that, by May 2019, she and Isaiah had active restraining orders against one another, with the latter having already filed for divorce five months prior, allegedly driving Valerie’s actions. Thus, in February 2019, the mother of two reportedly began orchestrating the plot to have her husband Isaiah Carvalho Jr. killed. All this was done alongside her boyfriend, John DiRubba, who eventually tipped off the authorities.
Therefore, on May 17, the FBI executed a sting operation with the help of both John and Isaiah, wherein an undercover agent pretending to be a hitman offered Valerie “proof” of her spouse’s demise via a staged photo. They then demanded $3,000 (in addition to the $7,000 she’d already allegedly willingly given her partner to employ a triggerman) to carry out this hit and the one on John’s 13/14-year-old daughter. Once that was done, Valerie unwittingly began discussing her alibi with the informant/her boyfriend, even going as far as to destroy two phones and asking him to delete every possible incriminating text.
Valerie Cincinelli Has Served Her Time
Armed with all this information, along with audio or video footage of her conversations with John DiRubba as well as the officials who went to inform her of Isaiah Carvalho’s “death,” Valerie Cincinelli was apprehended. The 34-year-old, charged with two counts of murder-for-hire and one count of obstruction of justice, was subsequently held without bail as the federal prosecutors successfully deemed her a “danger to the community.” Valerie initially defended herself as best as she could, with her family placing the entire blame on John as well, but to no avail.
Ultimately, in April 2021, after Valerie pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, the murder-for-hire charges were dismissed, which means that she was just handed a 4-year sentence in November. It has since been indicated that this plea deal was allowed to go forth because the FBI couldn’t uncover any evidence regarding the $7,000, which John said he’d converted into gold coins, suggesting she never actually wanted the hits to take place. Nevertheless, she was punished for her actions.
“I’m apologizing from the bottom of my heart,” Valerie tearfully said during her sentencing hearing. “I can’t believe I allowed myself to get to that place, that dark place.” The retired New York Police Department officer was hence incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center – Lexington in Kentucky, but was granted parole on October 12, 2022, meaning she’s now a free woman trying to get her life on track again. According to the last reports in 2022, the divorce proceedings between her and Isaiah are ongoing.
Read More: Where is Isaiah Carvalho Now?
