NJ Woman Caught in Hit Man Plot to Kill Ex's New Girlfriend

Nicole Faccenda said she had a black dress ready to wear to the intended victim's funeral

A 42-year-old Bergen County woman was arrested by federal authorities Wednesday night, charged in a plot to hire a hit man to kill her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, prosecutors said.

Authorities said Nicole Faccenda of Lyndhurst, N.J., was so jealous over her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, she offered cash to have the girlfriend killed. According to a federal agent, Faccenda wanted her "gone, gone to the moon."

Faccenda contacted an acquaintance in Florida last Wednesday, looking for help in finding someone to kill her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, according to the federal prosecutor's complaint.

"She told this acquaintance she had a black dress ready to wear to the intended victim's funeral and would 'spit on the casket,'" the prosecutor's complaint said.

The unnamed acquaintance contacted federal authorities, who recorded a subsequent phone conversation between Faccenda and the acquaintance, who said he'd found someone to carry out the murder.

In later phone conversations with the acquaintance and the purported hit man -- who was actually an undercover agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- Faccenda said she would pay the hit man $5,000 in advance, and $5,000 after the new girlfriend was killed.

"Faccenda said she wanted the new girlfriend to be gone and her boyfriend to be miserable," the complaint said. "She said she wanted the girlfriend shot in the head, that the boyfriend could be shot in the foot, and if something happened to the girlfriend's children, 'Oh well, I'm sorry.'"

Faccenda had a child of her own with her ex-boyfriend. The ex also had a child with his new girlfriend, authorities said.

A neighbor who lived next to Faccenda when she lived with her ex-boyfriend told NBC New York, "There's been disturbances there, there's been fights, there's been arguments."

In a meeting with her acquaintance and the undercover hit man at an A&P parking lot in Clifton last Friday, Faccenda told the hit man she'd watched "a lot of Lifetime movies" and wanted to make sure he was not a cop.

And when asked if she was sure she wanted to proceed, Faccenda responded, "That's not even an issue," and said she'd played every scenario through her head on how she wanted the job done, including "forcing the victim girlfriend's car off the road, someone just coming up to her and taking her out, or going into the victim-girlfriend's house with a silencer and taking them all out," according to a complaint.

The following Monday, Faccenda met the acquaintance at a gas station parking lot in Secaucus, and gave him an envelope filled with $2,000 for the undercover hit man, prosecutors said. She told him the name, photo and license plate number of the intended victim.

On Wednesday, the acquaintance called Faccenda to tell her the victim was shot in the head and it was made to look like a robbery. Faccenda said she was busy at work and could not talk.

A short time later, ATF agents raided the Mahwah Doubletree hotel where she worked in catering, and arrested her.

She was charged Thursday with using the mail and facilities of commerce with the intent that a murder be committed for payment. She appeared in Newark federal court, and was remanded to jail without bail.

She faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if she is convicted.

“This was a cold and calculated plan to end the life of another person,” U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. “It failed because of the actions of a private citizen, who immediately contacted authorities, and the diligence and hard work of federal investigators. Because of their quick action, a life was saved."

Faccenda's attorney, John Bruno, said his client was not guilty and looked forward to explaining herself in court.

"She denies the charges," Bruno told NBC New York Thursday. "She looks forward to having her named cleared."

"It's a complicated, convoluted set of facts, and she looks forward to untangling this web," he added.

Contact Us