Murder-for-hire suspect arrested in New York with guns, latex mask
According to the FBI, Hyunkook Korsiak met with an undercover agent on multiple occasions and agreed to murder a fictitious businessman in Midtown Manhattan hotel for $50,000.
NEW YORK - A man from Augusta, Maine was arrested last week for participating in a plot to commit murder in New York City, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday.
Hyunkook Korsiak, 41, plotted the murder unknowingly with undercover FBI agents, and the intended victim was fictitious, according to the FBI.
"As alleged in the complaint, Hyunkook Korsiak agreed to murder another person for the price of $50,000," U.S. attorney Damian Williams said. "Thanks to the work of our remarkable law enforcement partners, Korsiak now stands charged in federal court for his alleged role in this terrible crime."
According to FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll, the defendant was allegedly willing to travel over 300 miles in order to "fulfill his depraved desire to be paid for taking another human’s life."
Photos of masks that Hyunkook Korsiak told the undercover agents he intended to use during the murder, according to the FBI. (Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation)
"The defendant displayed callous disregard for life and planned to conduct his act of violence in the middle of Manhattan," Driscoll said. "The FBI will not tolerate such acts of violence, and any individual willing to cold-heartedly kill another person will be made to face the consequences in the criminal justice system."
The FBI said it began its investigation in January after communications Korsiak sent expressing his desire to kill a person for money were intercepted by the Bureau of Prisons. Korsiak met with an undercover FBI agent on multiple occasions in both New York and Boston and agreed to murder a fictitious businessman who was purported to stay at a Midtown Manhattan hotel.
During one of the meetings with the undercover agent, The FBI said Korsiak described how he intended to commit the murder and what weapons he planned on using, including an AR-15 rifle and a 9MM pistol that he possessed.
Hyunkook Korsiak was found in possession of four firearms, a bullet resistant vest, hundreds of rounds of various caliber ammunition, a latex mask, rifle scopes, high-capacity magazines and latex gloves. (Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Korsiak also requested silencers for the two weapons and a latex mask so that he could defeat facial recognition technology. Korsiak’s plan also included the use of a police uniform in an effort to evade capture after he committed the crime.
In another meeting, the FBI said Korsiak told agents that he would use a car to approach the victim as he walked on a Midtown Manhattan street and planned to shoot the victim from inside the car.
Korsiak was arrested on March 8 in Tarrytown, New York, where he intended to make his final preparations for the murder. Korsiak was found in possession of four firearms, a bullet resistant vest, hundreds of rounds of various caliber ammunition, a latex mask, rifle scopes, high-capacity magazines and latex gloves.
NYC overall crime up, murders down
Although overall index crime in New York City was up, murders and shooters were down in September 2022 compared to September 2021. But the top brass said a few people are committing the vast majority of the crimes, which they say highlights the problem of recidivism.
Korsiak has been charged with one count of murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison, and one count of possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
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Korsiak currently has a 2017 federal felony conviction for theft from a licensed firearms dealer.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.