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Rockland County resident Ira Bernstein, age 49, of Montebello, and Northern Westchester resident Jaclyn Goldberg, age 40, of Bedford, have been indicted by a grand jury following an investigation conducted by the Town of Ramapo Police Department with the assistance of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.
From July 29, 2022 through September 21, 2022, Ira Bernstein is alleged to have solicited the murder of his wife Susan Bernstein and subsequently conspired to destroy evidence of the solicitation with Goldberg, his sister, according to Rockland County DA Thomas E. Walsh II.
Bernstein has been charged with one count each of the following:
- Criminal solicitation in the second degree,
- Criminal solicitation in the fourth degree,
- Tampering with physical evidence,
- Conspiracy in the fifth degree.
Goldberg has been charged with one count each of the following:
- Tampering with physical evidence,
- Hindering the prosecution in the third degree,
- Conspiracy in the fifth degree.
In a case that drew national attention, Bernstein and then-girlfriend Kelly Gribeluk, age 43, of Airmont in Rockland County, were convicted in 2017 of plotting to a hire a hitman for $100,000 to run over Bernstein's wife, Susan Bernstein.
Both served around four years in prison.
Following the new charges, DA Walsh commended the Ramapo Police Department "for their investigative work and the detectives from Rockland County District Attorney’s Office who assisted with the case.
"We will now move forward with the prosecution phase of the case.”
Ramapo Police Chief Martin Reilly said the "department is proud of the extensive efforts put forth by our Investigations Division and its detectives in securing an indictment against both defendants.
"We are appreciative of the valuable assistance provided by the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office and their personnel.”
On Thursday, June 1, Ira Bernstein and Jaclyn Goldberg were arraigned on a sealed indictment.
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