A Baldwinsville man, an attorney in Chenango County, was detained and prosecuted after failing to comply with a court order prohibiting him from leaving the United States. Donatello Lazarati, 41, was charged with bail jumping in the second degree, according to the New York State Police Department.
Lazarati was originally arrested on June 23 for third-degree grand larceny. This is a Class D felony. At the time, he worked for Chenango County’s Assigned Counsel Program. State Police think Lazarati filed duplicate invoicing to Chenango County for the same legal services and received payment. According to police, this cost the county $4,700.
On June 24, he was arraigned at Chenango County Jail. The judge ordered him not to leave the country. Lazarati’s passport would also have to be relinquished by June 26.
A day after being told not to leave the country, New York State Police received word that Lazarati had attempted to leave. An aircraft ticket was purchased from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The flight was scheduled to depart for Qatar.
He was apprehended at the airport before the jet took off.
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