Convicted arsonist plotted from prison to assassinate judges and prosecutors
Trenton, NJ – A 62-year-old Philadelphia man was sentenced to 95 years in New Jersey state prison after being convicted of conspiring to murder five government officials, including prosecutors and judges, in retaliation for his earlier conviction in an arson case.
Steven Smink, previously convicted in 2014 for orchestrating the arson of a rival bowling alley, was found guilty in August of five counts of attempted murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder (all first-degree offenses), and two fourth-degree weapons-related charges. The sentence, handed down by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Levin, requires Smink to serve 85 percent before becoming eligible for parole.
Prosecutors said that between January 2018 and December 2020, while incarcerated at Northern State Prison in Newark, Smink plotted to kill Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, First Assistant Prosecutor Harold Shapiro, two Superior Court judges, and an assistant prosecutor—all of whom played roles in his prior prosecution.
Smink initially hired a member of the Latin Kings gang, also imprisoned, to carry out the killings. That individual died before acting on the plot. Smink then solicited a cooperating witness, seeking a contract killer and offering payment through the transfer of valuable sports memorabilia. He used his late mother, Esther Smink, to communicate plans outside the prison, directing her to write letters and deliver instructions.
According to court testimony, Smink described plans to stage the attack to appear as gang retaliation. In a recorded conversation with an undercover officer, he said if all the officials were in one place, “wipe the whole place out… it just looks like somebody making an assault, a gangs meeting.”
The plot was uncovered in April 2019 when the New Jersey State Police Central Security Unit received intelligence from the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. A joint investigation by the NJSP and the New Jersey Department of Corrections led to Smink’s indictment.
At sentencing, Prosecutor Webb-McRae addressed the court directly, expressing concern for the safety of her loved ones. “I signed up for my job,” she said, “but my family didn’t… and when they read that someone was arrested in a plot to kill me, they feel a little less safe.”
Smink’s latest conviction comes more than a decade after his original 15-year sentence for arson. The new charges and sentence effectively ensure he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Parvin and Deputy Attorneys General Veronica Daddario and Amie Hyde. Defense was led by Philadelphia attorney Durann A. Neil.
—
Key Points
- Steven Smink, 62, was sentenced to 95 years for plotting to kill five New Jersey government officials from prison
- The murder-for-hire plot targeted prosecutors and judges involved in his 2014 arson conviction
- Smink used gang contacts, sports memorabilia, and his mother to attempt to execute the plan while incarcerated
