Dippolito talks prison break in recorded call, prosecutors say

By Chuck Weber

Prosecutors say they have proof Dalia Dippolito is contemplating escape from her jail cell and that is cause to deny her bond while she appeals her conviction, court records show.

They say they have Dalia Dippolito on a recorded jailhouse phone call “enthusiastically” discussing the methods used in a recent South Carolina prison escape.

“He had somebody fly a drone over and drop off wire cutters,” a transcript quotes Dippolito as saying. “Everyone here was like pumped up when they read that.”

Dippolito is currently in the Palm Beach County Jail. It is not clear who she was having the conversation with.

Dippolito was convicted after a jury trial in June of hiring an undercover cop — whom she thought was a hitman — to kill her newlywed husband. She was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

But Dippolito’s defense team is fighting to get the 34-year-old released on bond, with house arrest, while she appeals her conviction and sentence.

A hearing in the matter has been set for Aug. 9.

Dippolito’s attorney, Greg Rosenfeld, declined to comment until he has listened to the recording.

It is not uncommon for some criminal defendants to be released on bond while appealing their convictions. Dippolito was released on bond with house arrest while she appealed her first conviction.

Prosecutors are hoping to persuade a judge to deny Dippolito’s request for release.

“Shortly after the verdict, the defendant can be heard on tape enthusiastically discussing a recent case of how an inmate broke out of a maximum-security prison using wire cutters that were delivered to him via drone,” Assistant State Attorney Craig Williams wrote in court filings.

An article about the escape and a portion of the transcript of Dippolito’s jail call was included in the filing.

During the conversation, Dippolito said the escapee got an 18-hour head start by putting a dummy in his bed, the transcript said.

The inmate was captured at a Texas motel.