Bank manager proposed using rat poison as part of a murder-for-hire plan against his brother-in-law.

Last week, a New York bank manager was sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for a failed murder-for-hire plot against her brother-in-law. During the trial, it was revealed that the bank manager had allegedly instructed the hitman to use "rat poison" to carry out the assassination.

Reshma Massarone, a 40-year-old branch manager at Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, planned to kill her sister's husband over Facebook Messenger between July 2023 and August 2023, according to court documents. She was caught on security footage wiring a $2,500 down payment to a would-be hitman at a Western Union kiosk inside a Walgreens.

According to court documents, Massarone requested her longtime friend, a Guyanese police officer, to murder the man while they were traveling in Guyana. However, the friend went undercover and built a case against her, resulting in her guilty plea to murder-for-hire. She was sentenced on Aug. 27.

"In one exchange, Massarone instructed the hitman to take care of business and become a rich man. In another, she emphasized that regardless of the outcome, both she and the hitman would be blamed, so they should cut the bulls**t and get the job done."

The hitman's plan was exposed when the victim and his wife went to the United States Embassy in Guyana to report that Massarone had placed a hit on the victim, with the attack scheduled for July 25, 2023.

A DEA special agent and a native Guyanese speaker translated a call made by Massarone's friend, in which Massarone expressed her desire for her brother-in-law's death and provided details on how the murder should appear as a robbery. This translated call was later used as evidence in court.

In a presentencing submission, Massarone's lawyer argued that his client's actions were "completely out of character" and occurred in a "state of rage," asserting that she was provoked by her brother-in-law's "twenty-five-year systemic harassment."

The man was not given the chance to marry Massarone at 15, so he married her sister who was 16 at the time.

Massarone attempted to advance her career in banking, but the victim ruined her professional life by repeatedly calling her place of employment in an attempt to get her fired, according to her attorney.

"The man has spent the last 25 years trying to ruin Ms. Massarone in every way possible, including harassing her daughter and attempting to get her disqualified from a beauty pageant. Despite this, the man continues to make disparaging remarks about Ms. Massarone's family on social media. The defense memo raises the question of what prevents the man from calling up a law school Ms. Massarone intends to apply to, and what prevents the so-called victim from continuing his harassment of Ms. Massarone's family."

"Nothing, is the answer," the memo added.

"Despite losing jobs, paying attorneys, calling the police, having orders of protection in place, relocating her family, and installing security systems in her home, the victim's continuous attack of her did not stop," her attorney wrote.

According to Queens Criminal Court documents, at least one order of protection was issued on Massarone's behalf against the victim.

Massarone has filed lawsuits against two banks in the past two years, alleging racial discrimination while employed there. However, both cases were dismissed.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams condemned the woman's plan to have a family member murdered for $10,000 as "unthinkably heartless" during her sentencing, with prosecutors showing little sympathy.

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"Prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo that while the victim's conduct should not be commended, it should not be considered so harassing or abusive as to justify Massarone's behavior."

Prosecutors wrote ahead of the Aug. 27 sentencing that the defendant's victim-blaming should not be rewarded, and her request for a sentence reduction should be denied.

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The tensions within Massarone's family were brought to light by accusations that she exploited a dying relative by taking out an insurance policy on her.

One relative wrote on Facebook that this cold-hearted animal tried to take advantage of my dying sister, and now this is her karma that has come back full circle.

"The woman who has been torturing and tormenting people for a very long time is considered evil, according to a post on the New York Post."

"The family member stated that she was dissatisfied and didn't get her way, so she wanted to kill him. Her next step was to get him assassinated or murdered because of the attorney's fees and other issues. In her mind, she believed it was necessary to eliminate the problem rather than resort to litigation."

Massarone's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.