Summary: The former attorney of accused-murderer Casey Anthony, who has since been disbarred, was convicted of drug smuggling.
The disbarred Rancho Santa Fe attorney who once represented the accused-daughter-murderer Casey Anthony has been convicted by a jury of plotting to smuggle $13 million of cocaine into the country from Ecuador.
Fifty-five-year-old Todd Macaluso was convicted by a jury for the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on one federal count of international cocaine distribution conspiracy. Macaluso will remain behind bars while he waits for his sentence.
His plan was to fly over 3,000 pounds of cocaine worth around $13 million on his Falcon 10 airplane. He would drop the load in Honduras where it could then be smuggled into the U.S, according to multiple sources. He planned on getting $185,000 for transporting the illicit cargo from South America to Central America.
Macaluso was disbarred roughly three years ago after pleading guilty to wire fraud in San Diego federal court. He had forged client signatures and notary public stamps to disguise a fraud scheme. He was sentenced to five months in prison plus he was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution and a $100,000 fine.
A year ago, he was arrested in Haiti while he and two co-defendants finalized their plan to fly to Ecuador and then Honduras. The other two men already pleaded guilty before going to trial while Macaluso opted to take his case to a jury for a weeklong long trial. The jury deliberated for only an hour before delivering the guilty verdict.
Macaluso, a personal injury lawyer, got the opportunity to represent Anthony in 2009 and 2010. Anthony ended up being acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter in 2011 in Florida. The case had everyone across the country following along, shocked at the acquittal ruling.
His attorney, Michael Gold, told the New York Daily News, “Mr. Macaluso was disappointed with the verdict but looks forward to being vindicated in future proceedings.”
Since his disbarment, Macaluso has been working as a pilot. He filed for bankruptcy after his previous legal problems. He had been released from prison on supervised release when he was arrested last year. Prosecutors alleged that the drug traffickers were the ones to approach Macaluso when he was working for wealthy clients to fly then to a Mexican resort where he owns property. He did not get approval from his probation officer to travel to Haiti last November. From there he was supposed to fly to South America to pick up the drugs. However, Haitian law enforcement officials arrested him and the other two men. They sent the group to New York where they could face federal charges.
He faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing on February 16.
Do you think Macaluso needs the full sentence to learn his lesson or was his crime a minor enough to get a break? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
To learn more about Casey Anthony, read these articles:
- Casey Anthony Allegedly Paid Defense Lawyer with Sex
- Casey Anthony’s Lawyer Fights Back against Misconduct Allegations
- Casey Anthony Attorney Caught Plotting to Smuggle Cocaine
Photo: nydailynews.com