Credit union branch manager Reshma Massarone could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
A New York woman pleaded not guilty to a racketeering murder charge during a federal court hearing in White Plains on Tuesday for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill her brother-in-law.
Reshma Massarone, who was hired in April as a manager at the Woodstock, N.Y., branch of the $1.4 billion Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, was arrested on Aug. 21 and remains in federal custody after a judge said Massarone was a danger to the community. If the 39-year-old mother of two is convicted on the felony murder-for-hire allegation, the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and a fine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
A spokesperson for Mid-Hudson Valley said last month that Massarone had been placed on administrative leave and pointed out there is no reason to believe her personal legal matters are connected to the credit union in any way.
On July 20, Massarone contacted “Individual-1,” a law enforcement officer in Guyana, using Facebook messenger and solicited this Individual 1’s services to murder her brother-in-law in exchange for $10,000, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint stated she knew Individual-1 because he was friends for years with her brother-in-law and his wife. Whenever they traveled to Guyana, Individual-1 traveled with the couple to provide security.
Although Individual-1 said he would not commit the murder himself, he knew a hitman who could get the job done, according to the criminal complaint. Massarone allegedly agreed to wire Individual-1 in Guyana $2,500 as a down payment. The criminal complaint showed video surveillance photos of Massarone wiring the funds from a Walgreens Western Union kiosk in New York’s Orange County on July 21.
Although the criminal complaint did not specify a motive, the brother-in-law told law enforcement officials that he and Massarone had an ongoing civil litigation matter pending in New York.
She is expected to appear in court on Sept. 20 for a bond hearing, according to the federal docket.
Before joining Mid-Hudson Valley five months ago, Massarone worked at seven banks since 2002, starting out as a teller for TD bank, according to her LinkedIn page. After that, she worked as an assistant manager for HSBC, a personal banker for Wells Fargo, a branch manager for PNC, Citi Bank and Rhinebeck Bank, and as a client experience manager for Kearny Bank.
Source: Cu Times