Judge rejects Bucci's request for commercial flight

CLEVELAND -- Longtime fugitive Robert T. Bucci has been denied his request to pay his and a U.S. marshal's commercial airfare from Florida to Ohio. The order was issued Tuesday by U. S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr.
Bucci, 57, who once lived in Canfield, fled to Cuba in December 1998, rather than face criminal prosecution on charges of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, filing false tax returns and tax evasion. He was captured in May in Panama City, Panama, and has been held in Miami, Fla., pending extradition to Ohio.
In a motion filed last week in U.S. District Court, Bucci's lawyer said his client has agreed to plead guilty to the charges and wanted to pay for his own travel. U.S. Marshal Peter J. Elliott objected, saying Bucci should travel like everyone else in the custody of marshals.
Steven M. Dettlebach, an assistant U.S. attorney, said in opposition to Bucci's lawyer's motion that the marshals decided against transporting him by commercial airliner.
Bucci will be brought to Ohio on a U.S. Marshal's Service aircraft within the next couple of weeks, Elliott said.
Judge Oliver said Bucci provided nothing persuasive in the request to travel by commercial airliner.