A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 95 years in New Jersey state prison for conspiring to murder multiple government officials. Steven Smink, 62, was convicted on August 15, 2025, of conspiracy to commit murder and five counts of attempted murder, as well as conspiracy to transport weapons and transporting weapons. The sentence was handed down by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Levin.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin commented on the sentencing: “The sentence handed down today is appropriate for this defendant, who planned to kill public servants for doing their jobs when they convicted him for previously committed crimes,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Thanks to the excellent investigative work by State Police and prison officials, his murder-for-hire plot was discovered before anyone was harmed. I want to recognize the skill and dedication of the prosecutors with the Division of Criminal Justice, who helped secure justice today.”
DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton stated: “Today’s sentence will keep this violent offender behind bars, where he clearly belongs. Public officials should never be threatened for doing their job, which in this case involved convicting and sentencing an arsonist. His response was to try and hire someone to kill them. These additional violent crimes resulted in his second conviction and additional years in prison.”
Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, added: “This sentence sends a powerful message: any attempt to threaten or harm government officials will not be tolerated and will be met with the highest level of accountability. The safety of those who serve the public is essential, and this outcome underscores our commitment to protecting public officials from those who seek to undermine their service.”
According to authorities, Smink conspired from January 2018 through December 2020 with others to kill Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, First Assistant Prosecutor Harold Shapiro, two superior court judges, and an assistant prosecutor connected with his prior arson conviction in 2014. Smink had previously owned a bowling alley in southern New Jersey and was already serving a 15-year sentence for orchestrating an arson at a rival business.
The investigation began after information provided by the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness led New Jersey State Police Central Security Unit officers to discover that Smink hired a cooperating witness between late 2017 and early 2018 for a murder-for-hire plot while incarcerated at Northern State Prison in Newark.
Authorities found that Smink initially sought out a member of the Latin Kings gang—who died before any act could be carried out—and later arranged with another individual (a cooperating witness) for help finding a hitman. He used sports memorabilia as payment for these planned attacks and instructed his mother Esther Smink (now deceased) to assist with correspondence related to the plot.
In conversations recorded during meetings with undercover officers, Smink discussed plans suggesting large-scale violence: “If everybody was together, wipe the whole place out and kill everybody it just looks like somebody making an assault, a gangs meeting.” He also said: “If somebody shot up the place it looks like the gang getting retribution.”
At sentencing, Prosecutor Webb-McRae addressed how these threats affected her family: “I signed up for my job,” she said. “And as the front facing symbol of my office, it could be argued that I knew the risks when I did. But Judge, my family didn’t. My neighbors didn’t. My church family didn’t. And when they read that someone was arrested in a plot to kill me, they feel a little less safe spending time in spaces where I am present.”
The case resulted from joint efforts between several agencies including New Jersey State Police Central Intelligence Unit and Department of Corrections SID with support from Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecution was led by DCJ Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Parvin along with Deputy Attorneys General Veronica Daddario and Amie Hyde; defense counsel was Durann A. Neil Esq., Philadelphia.
