NEW YORK - A man is accused of trying to hire someone to kill his wife and cut off her hand with a samurai sword to get her $27,000 diamond wedding ring.

Police say the hit man was an undercover officer. Rockefeller Auguste was arrested Thursday at his Manhattan office on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Police say the 35-year-old Auguste, a designer at an architectural firm, suspected his wife was cheating. They say he gave the undercover officer a samurai sword and a deposit.

Auguste was awaiting arraignment Friday, and it could not be immediately determined if he had a lawyer. A woman who answered the phone early Friday at his home said she had no comment. She said she was his sister but declined to give her name.