Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Debra Arno, 56, formerly of Amherst, NY, and Lauren Frey, 55, of Kenmore, NY, with conspiracy to commit murder for hire. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Alsup, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a complaint filed earlier, Arno was going to pay Frye a total of $20,000 to murder Arno’s ex-husband, his current wife and their daughter.

Arno was arraigned this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and is being detained. Frey will be arraigned at a later date.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Village of Kenmore Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter Breitnauer, the East Aurora Police Department, under the direction of Chief Ronald Krowka, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force which includes the Amherst Police Department; Buffalo Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Cheektowaga Police Department; Erie County Sheriff’s Office; Hamburg Police Department; Lancaster Police Department; Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority; New York State Department of Correctional Services; New York State Police; U.S. Border Patrol; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement–Homeland Security Investigations.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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