Casey Anthony Lawyer Todd Macaluso Arrested For Attempting To Transport Cocaine In Central America

The lawyer who helped Casey Anthony get acquitted of murder charges in 2011 is now facing charges himself after authorities discovered he conspired to transport cocaine throughout Central America and to the United States. Todd Macaluso was arraigned in Brooklyn Federal Court on Nov. 19 after he was apprehended by police just five days prior in Haiti, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

NYPD Detective Alexander Sosa of the Drug Enforcement Administration task force told the Daily News that Macaluso, who is also a registered pilot, had conspired with other drug traffickers to fly a plane from Haiti to Ecuador to pick up 1,500 kilograms of cocaine. After securing the drugs, Macaluso was allegedly supposed to transport the cocaine to Honduras and later to the U.S.

Officials say they discovered Macaluso was conspiring to transport drugs after his name came up in a separate investigation of drug traffickers using U.S.-registered airplanes to transport drugs.

Macaluso was arrested along with two other men, Carlos Almonte Vasquez and Humberto Osuna Contreras, both of whom Macaluso discussed the transport details with on several occasions, according to investigators who had recorded conversations of the trio. Upon arraignment, they were ordered to be held without bail in New York federal prison. It is unclear when Macaluso will stand trail.

Macaluso is best known for helping Anthony avoid charges for the murder of her daughter, Caylee Anthony. The lawyer represented Anthony from March 2009 to February 2010, and following Anthony’s acquittal in 2011, Macaluso reportedly used his plane to fly her out of Orlando.

This isn’t Macaluso’s first run-in with the law. The 54-year-old was just released from prison in June following a five-month sentence on charges of defrauding clients in California. He was supposed to be on supervised released when he was arrested on drug trafficking conspiracy charges in Haiti.