Syracuse, N.Y. — On a night shift in January 2024, two deputies were sifting through thousands of bail bond records at the Onondaga County Justice Center jail.

The deputies, Sgt. Ashley Keeney and Deputy David Mazzoni, were asked to review the records after prosecutors received a tip that a series of fraudulent bail bonds had been used to get people out of jail.

The work was tedious and time-consuming because all the records were on paper.

As they were poring over the records, a man walked in to file a bond. One of the deputies noticed the judge’s signature didn’t look right.

That chance meeting and the deputy’s sharp eyes helped blow apart a huge bail fraud scheme, according to former prosecutor Peter Hakes.

At least 36 families were cheated out of thousands of dollars of bail mone

See Full Page