Nearly three weeks before she is expected to be released from federal custody, former Warren attorney Maridee Costanzo was booked into Lake County Jail, apparently on an infraction from a work-release program that was leading up to her release.
Officials at Lake County Jail confirmed Costanzo was booked into the jail July 26. A spokeswoman at the jail said Costanzo was being held on a federal parole violation. However, an attorney she was working for pointed out that Costanzo has not completed her eight-year prison sentence and can't be considered under the parole authority yet.
Attorney David Engler said Costanzo had been working as a secretary in his office and spending some hours in another firm while living in a halfway house in the Akron area when she was picked up and placed in the jail.
''I'm sure it's only a minor infraction that occurred between work and where she staying temporarily before her release,'' Engler said. ''I expect the matter will be resolved quickly. She was working here because I truly believe someone like her deserves a second chance.''
A federal website says Costanzo is due to be released Aug. 27.
Costanzo's attorney in 2005, Tom Zena, failed to return calls seeking comment.
In August 2005, Costanzo was sentenced to federal prison for a plot to kill her estranged husband, attorney Roger Bauer. She also was sentenced to a three-year concurrent jail sentence on state weapons-related charges.
The prison time was reportedly served together in a federal lockup that started after the former defense lawyer and unsuccessful congressional candidate got treatment for psychological problems.
Costanzo, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, told a federal judge that at one point she was ready to commit suicide. She said those tendencies subsided after her arrest.
In April 2005, Costanzo made statements recorded secretly that she wanted Bauer dead. According to one recorded statement, Costanzo said she wanted Bauer's girlfriend dead too.
Costanzo admitted to paying $1,100 of a $2,000 down payment toward a $5,000 bounty to have a middleman arrange to have Bauer killed. A federal affidavit states Costanzo also handed over two photos of Bauer to the would-be murderer, who later turned on Costanzo and told federal authorities of her plans.
She also pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a traffic stop in Howland in March 2005, when police say they found a loaded .38-caliber Smith and Wesson stuffed in her blue jeans and a .22-caliber handgun under the passenger seat where she was seated.