Nicholas Orsini (L), (C) the suspect wearing a Jets hoodie (via court documents), (R) Steven Kraft (Image via missing person photo)
LOLJets.
A "sophisticated" carjacking murder and attempted coverup involving a "burner phone" was found out, in part, because the new husband charged in the death of his wife's ex wore a New York Jets hoodie while committing the crime, the feds allege.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Nicholas Orsini, 35, and Jamie Orsini, 36, of Amsterdam face up to life in prison or death after being charged with carjacking resulting in death and conspiracy in the suspected 2020 murder of 34-year-old Steven Kraft, a man from Marlboro who served in the U.S. Marines.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants planned for at least two days in advance to the commit the crime, considering how to dispose of their target's 1999 Toyota Camry in a dry run, while also purchasing a "burner phone" at Walmart and using cash to buy items from Home Depot like "a 10×100 foot paint tarp, duct tape, and a Tyvek suit and boots."
On the day of the killing, April, 28, 2020, the victim had scheduled custody between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. of the two daughters he shared with Jamie Orsini. Prosecutors, using GPS phone data, said that Kraft picked up the children at the suspects' 10 West Church St. home in Beacon and drove to a Sonic restaurant, where the defendants allegedly followed him and bought food of their own — using a credit card.
"GPS data showed NICHOLAS's personal phone—and cell-site data showed JAMIE's personal phone—following Kraft's phones to Sonic; surveillance video from the Sonic showed the ORSINIS' GMC pulling up to purchase food shortly after Kraft's Camry; a Sonic receipt showed the purchase of $7.77 of food at approximately the time that the ORSINIS' GMC pulled up, and a credit card receipt—using JAMIE's credit card—showed a $7.77 purchase of a children's burger with bacon, small French fries, an apple juice box, and a quarter pounder with cheese by the ORSINIS at Sonic."
The defendants allegedly activated a burner phone and followed Kraft back to their residence, where he dropped off his daughters around 7 p.m., prosecutors said.
"[H]e was never seen again," the complaint said.
Nicholas Orsini is accused of lying to co-workers in inconsistent ways about why he didn't show up for work on April 28, 2020, when the defendants allegedly drove the victim's car to Newburgh — using the "same circuitous route the pair travelled in their dry run" — and ditched the vehicle on the street:
I have reviewed pictures taken from a phone belonging to one of NICHOLAS's co-workers showing that, at approximately 6:08 pm on April 28, 2020, the co-worker texted NICHOLAS asking when he would come to work; at approxi- mately 8:06 pm, the co-worker called NICHOLAS, who did not pick up; NICHOLAS did not respond until 8:10 pm, when he texted back that his wife's car broke down and they were waiting for a AAA tow ("Yo my wife is broken down near Harrimen triple a covering the toe o can't get there now. I'll be there tomorrow"); at 8:15 pm, NICHOLAS texted back a different story, explaining that he was putting his baby to bed ("I'm putting the baby to sleep. I'll answer if I can or call you back"). As described below, during this time, the ORSINIS' phones were both in or around 10 West Church Street, and AAA reports that they did not receive a call for a tow that evening.
Those alleged lies form a piece of evidence that led to charges, but Nicholas Orsini was allegedly caught on video tossing a burner phone while wearing a New York Jets hoodie at a Sunoco gas station around a mile away from where the Toyota was dumped, the feds said.
Steven Kraft's Toyota (L via NamUS), the Levi's hat (via court docs)
That hoodie, a Levi's hat, and blue bandana were each found during an August 2020 search, the complaint said:
c. Surveillance video showed what appears to be the same man who I believe to be NICHOLAS at the Sunoco gas station—at a time consistent with having walked from where that individual was seen on the other surveillance video— make movements consistent with using a cellphone to make a call and then appear to dispose of the phone, enter the Sunoco gas station, purchase a Monster Energy Drink with a $100 bill, and walk back out; shortly thereafter, a taxi picks the individual up. Cell-site and call record data for the 7755 burner phone show that the 7755 burner phone was used at that time to call a taxi service from the area of the Sunoco gas station, and was never used again. Surveillance footage from the Newburgh Beacon bridge shows the taxi traveling from Newburgh to Beacon at a time consistent with picking up the individual and driving him back to Beacon; video surveillance from a few blocks from 10 West Church Street show the taxi at 9:46 pm, which is consistent with the taxi picking up the individual at the Sunoco gas station and traveling over the Newburgh Beacon Bridge.
d. I believe that individual was NICHOLAS because—in addition to his appearing to travel from Kraft's Camry, which he had just driven from 10 West Church Street, his use of the 7755 burner phone, and his travel back to the area of 10 West Church Street—in the surveillance video, the person was wearing a particular Jets sweatshirt/hoodie with the hood up, a patterned, blue bandana around his face, blue latex gloves, and a Levi's stadium baseball cap. I have reviewed a photograph of NICHOLAS from JAMIE's Google account in which he wore what appears to be the same Jets sweatshirt/hoodie. Additionally, in August 2020, law enforcement officials searched 10 West Church Street as well as the ORSINIS' new home in Amsterdam, New York, and found a patterned, blue bandana, latex gloves, and a Levi's stadium baseball cap identical to the ones worn at the Sunoco gas station.
Prosecutors said that one of Jamie's daughters received no response when she texted her mom around 7:53 p.m. asking "Where are u?" and when she texted ".." two minutes later. Then, around 9:43 p.m., one of the girls texted her mother "Goodnightloveyou."
Just minutes later, at around 9:47 p.m. Jamie allegedly texted Nicholas "He's asleep … so come in the room so we can f—." A government footnote suggested the sleeping person the text referred to was the Orsinis' "very young" son.
According to the government, the alleged cover-up attempt took place over the ensuing days, and "Google search data for NICHOLAS's phone, surveillance video, and store receipts" helped develop probable cause that the husband "looked into what others might know about his crime, researched what would be necessary to burn evidence (or a body), and purchased tools to dismember and burn a body."
"In particular, on April 29, 2020, NICHOLAS ORSINI — who, like JAMIE ORSINI, left his own phone at home in Beacon — purchased a new burner phone and then drove approximately two-and-a-half hours to Amsterdam either by himself or with JAMIE ORSINI, stayed for less than three hours, and then drove back to Beacon. The next day, on April 30, 2020, NICHOLAS ORSINI used his phone to search for 'How to view your location history in google maps,'" prosecutors said. "On May 1, 2020, the ORSINIs again drove to and from Amsterdam, again leaving their personal phones behind but using their burner phone. Later that day, the ORSINIs changed the phone number of their burner phone in an apparent attempt to hide their tracks."
The allegedly nervous defendant googled "Orange County News" and "Montgomery County News" to keep tabs on the status of any investigation.
Nicholas Orsini on May 2, days after Kraft was last seen alive, went back to Home Depot and made more incriminating purchases consistent with disposing of a body, the complaint said. The defendants allegedly purchased "31-gallon galvanized steel round trash cans, a coarse stainless-steel rod, an angle grinder with grinding wheel, five metal disks, three 32-ounce bottles of odorless charcoal lighter fluid, two charcoal grates, an axe, and a flame lighter."
Authorities said that Jamie Orsini was also caught in a key lie months after Kraft's disappearance:
I have spoken with the property manager for 10 West Church Street, who told me that, on or about August 7, 2020, JAMIE ORSINI, the defendant, contacted the property manager and asked about where in the apartment the police searched, and also told the property manager that her ex-husband got in his car like he normally does after he let the girls out and went on his way. (This conflicts with what JAMIE told the New York State Police investigators on May 6, 2020: that, after Kraft let the children out, JAMIE spoke with Kraft outside of 10 West Church Street for 45 minutes to an hour before Kraft left. This also conflicts with what a Marlboro Police Officer told me JAMIE told him: that Kraft had stayed 10 to 15 minutes after dropping his daughters off).
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams remarked in a statement that the alleged scheme was "sophisticated" but ultimately unsuccessful.
"A little over three years ago, Nicholas and Jamie Orsini allegedly plotted to and did kill Jamie's ex-husband, Steven Kraft. Their alleged scheme was sophisticated — it involved burner phones, stealing and dumping Kraft's car, and, ultimately, disposing of Kraft's body. In doing so, the Orsinis denied Kraft's family — including Kraft's children with Jamie — the dignity of having a proper burial," Williams said. "This complaint shows that no matter how well you cover up your heinous act, law enforcement will not relent until they have uncovered your crimes."
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