ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J. — A Philadelphia man, convicted of organizing a multi-year murder-for-hire scheme that targeted New Jersey prosecutors and judges, has been sentenced to 95 years in state prison, officials announced.
Steven Smink, 62, was found guilty on August 15, 2025, of conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of attempted murder, and weapons-related offenses. Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Levin imposed the lengthy sentence, requiring Smink to serve 85 percent before being eligible for parole.
Prosecutors said Smink’s conspiracy ran from 2018 to 2020 and targeted several officials involved in his earlier 2014 arson conviction, including Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, First Assistant Prosecutor Harold Shapiro, two Superior Court judges, and an assistant prosecutor.
Smink, a former bowling alley owner, was previously sentenced to 15 years for ordering a fire that destroyed a competitor’s business.
Investigators discovered the murder plot while Smink was incarcerated at Northern State Prison. Authorities said he tried to hire gang members and a cooperating witness to kill his former prosecutors, offering sports memorabilia as payment and enlisting his late mother to help coordinate the plan.
In recorded meetings, Smink allegedly discussed staging the attacks to look like gang-related violence, telling an undercover officer, “If everybody was together, wipe the whole place out.”
The case was investigated by the New Jersey State Police Central Intelligence Unit, the Department of Corrections, and the Division of Criminal Justice, with assistance from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Parvin, along with Deputy Attorneys General Veronica Daddario and Amie Hyde, led the prosecution.
Officials said the sentence reflects the seriousness of a coordinated threat against members of the judiciary and prosecutorial staff, underscoring New Jersey’s commitment to protecting public officials from targeted violence.
