Man found guilty of plotting to behead a New York judge and a prosecutor after he was given life term for a coin scam was again sentenced to life imprisonment by a Brooklyn court judge, Monday.
Joseph Roman, 51, a native of Long Island was convicted for the decapitation conspiracy in January. He maintained his innocence accusing the federal agents for falsely indicting him. "The FBI are the authors of this crime," Romano said at the Brooklyn Federal Court, reports the New York Daily News.
Romano, who was charged and sentenced to 15 years in the $7 million coin scam, sought revenge against Federal Judge Joseph Bianco and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Gatz who were responsible for his life imprisonment sentence.
A jail inmate informed his lawyer about the conspiracy after overhearing Romano's plan to take revenge in 2012. He was told to a wear a recording machine and introduce Romano to an undercover federal detective disguised as a hit man, a CBC New York report states.
Romano paid $40,000 to the hit man and instructed him to kidnap, sexually mutilate and behead the judge and the prosecutor. He also told the hit man to preserve the heads of the victims in formaldehyde as mementos for him after coming out of jail. Romano dubbed the killings as 'Dodge Trucks,' the prosecutors told the court.
Moreover, he told the hit man to abuse a mechanic in Long Island for taking back one of his vintage cars. However, none of the targets were hurt in the plan, prosecutors said. They also added that Romano admitted to the conspiracy in a signed statement. But his attorneys said Romano thought he was signing an agreement to cooperate against other criminals and possibly get released early from the prison.
In his defense Romano told Judge John Keenan of Southern District of New York that he was a philanthropist who made generous donations and volunteered behind bars helping other inmates study for their GEDs.
"I'm a 300-pound man," Romano said, reports the New York Law Journal. "I may look scary to some people, but...I have never put my hands on another man." But Keenan did not seem to be influenced. He sentenced Romano with two life sentences for both the crimes.
