Cutting and pasting judge’s name on document will land him in jail
A resident of Eighty Four was sentenced this week to serve six to 23 months in jail after being charged with forging a Washington County judge’s name on a document submitted to an insurance company.
Robert J. Bidinost, 40, of Nottingham Township, was charged late last year by city police with creating a document that appeared to be a court order issued by Judge Valarie Costanzo related to an accident claim on a vehicle.
Bidinost was scheduled to stand trial Monday in Washington County Court, but he changed his plea to guilty and Judge Michael Lucas sentenced him to serve time in the county jail, plus two years’ probation on a perjury charge.
Costanzo had presided over family law matters in Bidinost’s divorce, and he admitted to cutting and pasting her signature from a custody order on the document he filed with the insurance company.
Charges of false swearing, tampering by fabricating evidence and having a fraudulent document were dismissed.