A former Youngstown attorney is asking to be released from prison two-and-a- half weeks after he started serving a year-and-a-half prison sentence.

According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, 34-year-old Anthony Fusco began serving an 18-month prison sentence on October 28, 2022.

The sentence was handed down by Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge Anthony D’Apolito after Fusco pleaded guilty to one felony count of insurance fraud.

Fusco has been transferred from state custody to the Mahoning County jail where he awaits a judicial release hearing scheduled on Monday before Judge D’Apolito.

According to court records, Fusco first applied for judicial release on October 11, the same day received his sentence. The judge denied that request noting that Fusco had not even been transferred to prison at the time.

Judge D’Apolito agreed to hear a second judicial release motion that was filed on the day Fusco began serving his state prison term.

Online records state that if Fusco served his entire sentence, he would remain in prison until April 5, 2024.

Authorities say that while working for Kisling, Nestico & Redick, Fusco inflated medical bills as part of bodily injury insurance claim settlements submitted to insurance companies.

An audit of approximately 1,400 claim settlements Fusco handled between March 2017 and September 2019 revealed inflated medical bills had been included in 399 client claims submitted to 62 insurance companies. The medical bills were inflated by $859,464.44.

Fusco resigned from his position with Kisling, Nestico & Redick in October 2019. He joined the firm in December of 2015.

According to the Ohio Supreme Court website, Fusco's law license is inactive.