A would-be hitman was apprehended by the federal government this week for preparing the murder of an alleged businessman in Midtown; however, federal prosecutors accused on Thursday that the FBI was the mastermind behind the entire plot to carry out the rubout.
According to federal prosecutors, the would-be button man, Hyunkook Korsiak, was detained by FBI investigators in Tarrytown on Wednesday.
At the time of his detention, Korsiak was in possession of a modest armoury that included two AR-15 rifles, two 9MM handguns, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
In addition, Korsiak, who is 41 years old, allegedly had latex gloves and a latex mask along with rifle scopes, high-capacity magazines, and high-capacity magazines.
According to a federal criminal complaint that was lodged against him in Manhattan, federal agents were able to get Korsiak, who was from Maine, arrested in connection with the murder-for-hire plot after officials from the Bureau of Prisons learned that he had communicated his desire to become a hired gun with someone else.
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An undercover agent posing as a member of a “transnational criminal organisation” allegedly paid the would-be gunman $30,000 at a series of meetings that took place between January and March 2023 in New York and Boston.
The meetings were arranged by the agents who introduced Korsiak to the undercover agent.
Korsiak was informed by the undercover agent about the alleged target of the assassination during a meeting that took place on January 12 in Battery Park. The agent told Korsiak that “this person comes to New York and doesn’t leave breathing.”
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Allegedly in response to the question, Korsiak stated, “You simply tell me where to go and what to do, and you know I can make that happen.”
According to the complaint, during another meeting on March 2, the undercover agent handed Korsiak a latex mask that he had requested in order to avoid being identified by face recognition software on the day that the intended murder was to take place.
The undercover investigator was able to meet with Korsiak in Tarrytown on Wednesday before he was taken into custody by federal agents, according to law enforcement officials.
According to the prosecutor’s office, he was charged with one count of murder for hire as well as one count of being a criminal in possession of a weapon. Should he be found guilty, he may spend up to 25 years behind bars.
There was no information immediately available on Korsiak’s legal representation.