BY STEVE HELLING<\/p>\n
A high-profile attorney who once represented Casey Anthony has been arrested for allegedly conspiring to smuggle 1,500 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S., PEOPLE confirms.<\/p>\n
According to a federal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Todd Macaluso, 54, was arrested on November 14 in Haiti along with two other men: Carlos Vasquez and Humberto Contreras.<\/p>\n
The complaint alleges the three men planned to \u201cfly from Haiti to Ecuador, pick up cocaine, and then transport it to Honduras to subsequently be imported into the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
The complaint alleges that Macaluso was captured on a recording in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, telling the two co-defendants that the corporate jet he had just arrived in from Orlando had the cargo space and heft to carry the drugs.<\/p>\n
Haitian authorities arrested the three men. They were flown to New York five days later. A judge ordered Macaluso to be held without bail, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not Macaluso\u2019s first brush with the law. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to defrauding clients and was sentenced to five months in prison.<\/p>\n
Macaluso represented Anthony when she was accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. He worked on her case for about a year before ultimately stepping down. After Anthony\u2019s acquittal and release from jail, he provided the private jet Anthony used to leave Orlando.<\/p>\n
Attorneys for Macaluso did not respond to PEOPLE\u2019s request seeking comment. He has requested a preliminary hearing for December 5 to enter a plea.<\/p>\n
Source: \u00a0People.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"