Joel Rosquette, a/k/a “Rick,” was arrested today for attempting to hire a hitman to murder three intended victims, federal officials say.
According to the allegations in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court, Rosquette hired an individual he thought was a hitman to murder two of his neighbors in Manhattan. Because Rosquette was short on cash, he arranged for the hitman to murder another person first – the owner of a gas station in Staten Island – and rob the gas station’s safe. R
Rosquette’s plan was to have the proceeds of the gas station robbery pay for the murder of his two neighbors. What Rosquette did not know was that the person he thought was a hitman was actually an undercover FBI agent.
This morning, Rosquette was arrested and his plan to commission three murders was foiled.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged, Joel Rosquette attempted to hire a hitman to murder two of his neighbors in Manhattan and the owner of a gas station in Staten Island. Now, thanks to the dedicated work of our partners at the FBI, Rosquette’s plan has been foiled, he is in federal custody, and his intended victims are safe.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “As alleged, Rosquette commissioned a hitman to carry out three murders on his behalf. In the end, he was fooled by the merits of his own plan. Today, we foiled this murder-for-hire scheme, sparing three innocent lives a most unfortunate fate.”
Rosquette, 50, of Manhattan, New York, is charged with three counts of murder-for-hire, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
