A Brooklyn man who brokered a deal in a twisted murder-for-hire plot pleaded guilty to extortion charges Thursday.
Boris Kotlyarsky admitted in Manhattan federal court that he convinced the target of the plot, Oleg Mitnik, to pay him and hit man Boris Nayfeld $125,000 to cancel the killing, which was ordered by Mitnik’s father-in-law, Anatoly Potik.
Mitnik forked over a $50,000 down payment in January after Kotlyarsky repeatedly contacted him about Nayfeld’s “reputation for violence and connections with organized crime,” prosecutors said.
Kotlyarsky, 68, pleaded guilty to extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion, which each carry prison terms of up to 20 years.
But in a plea agreement with feds, he faces a sentence of between just over three to a little more than four years.
Kotlyarsky was set to begin trial in November.
“As Boris Kotlyarsky has admitted, he took cruel advantage of a desperate situation, giving a victim the extortionate choice between paying off his hit man or death,” said US Attorney Preet Bharara in a statement.
Kotlyarsky’s attorney didn’t immediately comment.
