Rensselaer County Man Indicted in Murder-for-Hire Plot

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Marion Lopatniuk, age 45, was arraigned in federal court August 27, 2026, before Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista on a charge of using an interstate commerce facility in the commission of a murder-for-hire. A grand jury indicted Lopatniuk on August 12, 2026.

First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.

The indictment alleges that Lopatniuk used phone lines from Rensselaer County Correctional Facility to offer an upfront payment of $1,200 for the murder of a man with whom he was acquainted. As part of the plot, it is alleged Lopatniuk also agreed to distribute drugs and commit other murders to forgive the debt he would incur for having the victim killed.

The intended victim was not harmed and the FBI arrested Lopatniuk on July 2, 2025. Lopatniuk has been in custody since his arrest.

"As alleged, this defendant was brazen enough to offer upfront payment in a murder-for-hire scheme, even going so far as to offer to commit additional murders as payment," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone. "As a result of his plot, Lopatniuk now faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Thanks to the swift work of our partners at the FBI, the scheme was stopped before any harm could come to the intended victims."

"The allegations against Mr. Lopatniuk illustrate his disturbing plot to arrange a murder, but his plans didn't stop there," said Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albany Field Office. "According to the indictment, he also intended to carry out additional acts of horrific violence to forgive the debt his sinister plan would incur. Thankfully, the FBI stopped this evil scheme before any part of it could come to fruition, and now he's facing serious federal charges that could send him to prison for a substantial amount of time."

Lopatniuk faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years on the charge. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer is prosecuting the case.