Colonie Man Pleads Guilty to Murder-for-Hire Plot

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jeal Sutherland, age 57, of Colonie, New York, pled guilty today to using an interstate commerce facility in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a Capital Region man.  United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As detailed in Sutherland’s plea agreement and an earlier-filed criminal complaint, between November 2024 and January 2025, Sutherland used his cell phone to arrange the murder of a man who is the father of a child with Sutherland’s then-partner.  As part of this plot, Sutherland agreed to forgive a debt of the person he hired to kill the victim.  Sutherland also agreed to pay an undercover FBI agent – whom Sutherland believed to be a hog farmer – for use of a Pennsylvania farm to dispose of the victim by having pigs consume the body.  Sutherland admitted that in late January 2025, he had another man put the carcass of a Canada goose on the doorstep of the victim’s mother.  When the dead bird was discovered, it had a threatening note stuffed in its beak that had been written at Sutherland’s direction.      

The intended victim was not harmed and the FBI arrested Sutherland on January 27, 2025. Sutherland has been in custody since his arrest.

United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “Jeal Sutherland hatched a vicious plot to kill a romantic rival and intimidate his victim’s family.  When members of the FBI and my office learned of Sutherland’s plans, they acted quickly and did not rest until Sutherland was brought to justice.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Sutherland’s diabolical plot intended to violently end a man's life and intimidate his family. Thanks to the swift actions taken by FBI Albany and our law enforcement partners, that plan never came to fruition and Mr. Sutherland was quickly arrested and remains in custody. The FBI will continue to work with our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone looking to commit such egregious acts of violence in our communities.”

Sutherland 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 when he is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on September 22, 2025.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The FBI’s Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force investigated this case, with assistance from the Colonie Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua R. Rosenthal and Joseph S. Hartunian are prosecuting this case.