The 34-year-old who pleaded guilty to felony weapons charges in Cayuga County but left the state – opening a pizzeria in Tennessee – was sentenced on Tuesday.
Anthony Ranauro, an Owasco man, was taken into custody in early-November after skipping his sentencing in June. Sheriff Brian Schenck said that a number of agencies worked together to bring Ranauro to justice.
He was operating a pizzeria in Tennessee under the alias “Antonio Renaldo.” The fugitive caught the attention of law enforcement after doing a local media tour promoting his pizzeria.
Ranauro had been charged with several felonies based on his unlawful possession of illegally possessed handguns, rifles, and high capacity magazines, as well as ordering fraudulent identification documentation to accompany it.
He pleaded guilty in February 2020. However, in court on Tuesday, his attorney Dennis Sedor claimed that Ranauro’s fear of COVID-19 drove him to Tennessee.
According to The Auburn Citizen, Ranauro told the court that he thought going to jail would be a ‘death sentence’ because of the virus. He described himself as ‘petrified’ of COVID.
He was sentenced to four years in state prison, and another three years of post release supervision.
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