Former New York podiatrist Ira Bernstein, 49, was indicted on multiple felony charges last week after evidence suggested he attempted to solicit the murder of his wife, not long after being paroled for planning to murder his wife back in 2015.
Bernstein is also accused of conspiring to destroy evidence of the solicitation with his sister, attorney Jaclyn Goldberg, between July 29 and Sept. 21, 2022. Goldberg, 40, was charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence, one count of third-degree hindering the prosecution, and one count of fifth-degree conspiracy. Both Golberg and Bernstein pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In Bernstein's original case, he was accused of plotting to murder his then-wife, Susan Bernstein, alongside his girlfriend, Kelly Gribeluk. Gribeluk offered to pay a car salesman $100,000 to kill Bernstein's wife and make it look like an accident, and the pair were busted after the salesman went to the police. Gribeluk was sentenced in 2017 to 4 to 12 years in prison after admitting to her role in the murder plot, and she was released in May 2021.
Bernstein was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to various charges, including felony first-degree conspiracy. He was released on parole in July 2021, and prosecutors in Rockland, New York, allege that Bernstein began plotting the murder of his wife while conspiring with his sister to destroy evidence a year after his release.
Bernstein is facing a maximum sentence of 3 1/2 to seven years in prison if convicted of the charges. Both Bernstein and Goldberg were released without bail for a court appearance scheduled for June 23.
Source: lohud.com
