Man guilty of plot to decapitate judge, prosecutor

NEW YORK - A con man already imprisoned in a collectible coin scam has been sentenced to life in prison for a failed plot to decapitate a New York judge and prosecutor.

Another judge in Brooklyn imposed the sentence on Monday against Joseph Romano, 50.

Before hearing his fate, Romano told the judge he was innocent. He says he was framed by federal agents to keep him from exposing misconduct in the coin fraud investigation.

Romano was convicted in January in the decapitation plot. Jurors heard recordings of him agreeing to pay $40,000 to an agent posing as a hitman.

CBS New York reports that the defense argued that recordings of Romano seeking revenge against the judge and the prosecutor were just empty threats, enough to make violent inmates leave him alone. "In order to survive, Joseph Romano had to talk a big game," said defense lawyer Michael Bachrach. "He was trying to sound tough."

Prosecutors say the plot unfolded in 2012 after Romano was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $7 million in the coin scheme, which victimized elderly investors.

According to CBS New York, prosecutors said Romano signed a statement admitting to the planned revenge attacks. The defense countered that their client believed he was signing an agreement to cooperate against other criminals in the hope of receiving an early release.