NYC Gazette

On September 27, 2024, a jury found Jamie Orsini and Nicholas Orsini guilty of carjacking resulting in death and conspiracy to commit carjacking. The verdict came after a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams commented: "Over four years ago, in Beacon, New York, Jamie and Nicholas Orsini killed Jamie’s ex-husband, Steven Kraft, and engaged in a sophisticated scheme to hide their crime. Indeed, Kraft’s body still has not been found. For more than four years, Kraft’s family has waited for justice. Their wait is now over. With its verdict, the jury has now held Kraft’s ex-wife—Jamie Orsini—and her husband—Nicholas Orsini—responsible for that murder and subsequent cover-up."

Williams added: "This should serve as a lesson: if you commit a crime—if you commit a murder—it does not matter how well you cover your tracks or how successfully you think you destroyed the evidence, law enforcement will not give up, and the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners will never stop investigating and prosecuting these righteous cases."

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, in 2020 Jamie and Nicholas Orsini plotted the murder of Steven Kraft. They used burner phones, moved Kraft's car to another city, and destroyed physical evidence. On April 28, 2020, after Kraft dropped his daughters off with the Orsinis in Beacon, New York, they killed him and took his car and cellphone.

Nicholas Orsini then drove the car into Newburgh, New York, disposed of Kraft's cellphone, used a burner phone to call a taxi back to Beacon, discarding the phone before getting into the taxi.

Afterwards, they destroyed or disposed of evidence including Steven Kraft's body by buying new burner phones for trips upstate New York and creating large homemade incinerators. Jamie Orsini sent text messages to make it appear that she believed Kraft was still alive.

Both Jamie Orsini (38) and Nicholas Orsini (36), from Amsterdam, New York were convicted of carjacking resulting in death which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; and conspiracy to commit carjacking which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The case was praised by Mr. Williams for the work done by various law enforcement agencies including the FBI and New York State Police along with several local police departments.

The case is being handled by the White Plains Division with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaiya Arroyo, Michael D. Maimin, Kathryn P. Wheelock leading the prosecution assisted by Paralegal Specialists Shannon Becker and Liam Ronan.

For those who believe they have information related to this case or know the location of Steven Kraft's body are encouraged to report using this link: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/report-crime.