Oneonta Man Accused of Conspiring to Commit Two Murders

An Oneonta man has been arrested for conspiring to have two individuals murdered.

It was brought to the attention of the Otsego County Sheriff's Office that Maxie Godfrey, 62, then an inmate at the Otsego Correctional Facility, was inquiring of other inmates about the possibility of hiring someone to commit a murder. Albany DEA supplied an undercover agent to pose as a hitman-for-hire, who then met with Godfrey on a number of occasions.

Godfrey is accused of agreeing to pay the agent to murder one individual and requesting the agent murder a second individual. Both of the intended victims are said to be female.

Godfrey was also arrested in February of this year, accused of using forcible compulsion to engage in specific sexual acts.

Godfrey is being held at the Otsego County Correctional Facility on $10,000 bail. He is charged with: conspiracy in the second degree, a felony; criminal solicitation in the second degree, also a felony.

The investigation was conducted by the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Otsego County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York State Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Unit.

Richard Devlin, the Otsego County Sheriff, said: “I’m extremely proud of the law enforcement partnership that was instrumental in working this case. The DEA played an important and crucial role that will not be forgotten. You can well imagine that these cases are not only difficult to investigate, but they are more difficult to deal with emotionally.”

Godfrey faces up to 32 years in state prison if convicted.