An Ill-Advised Way To Make $300
Damian Bonazzoli is a senior staff attorney for the Massachusetts Appeals Court. According to the ABA Journal, he likely makes a five-figure salary. Apparently that wasn’t enough money for him. His entrepreneurial side business got him caught up in a journalist’s term-paper-trafficking sting operation.
Colman Herman wrote a piece for Commonwealth magazine exploring the “shadowy underworld” of college papers for purchase. The journalist went cruising on Craigslist for people advertising thesis-generating services. He e-mailed 66 people. Among the 62 respondents was Bonazzoli:
Damian Bonazzolli (sic), who promised a “quality grade” if he was hired to write the 20-page paper, responded to an initial inquiry by sending, unsolicited, his résumé. It indicated he is a senior staff attorney for the Massachusetts Appeals Court, a job that pays him $94,000 a year, according to state records. He wanted $300 to write the paper on physician-assisted suicide.In an email exchange, Bonazzolli (sic) [FN1] said turning in a paper that he had written would not be illegal. “I am aware of no state or federal statute that prohibits such a practice. This is not the equivalent of, say, lying on a federal employment or tax form,” he said. “Could your school take disciplinary action? Of course. But that’s quite different from a criminal prosecution.”
We hope no law students have hired Bonazzoli to do legal analysis for them. His is not up to par when it comes to Massachusetts law.
Beyond being unethical, Bonazzoli’s side business is illegal:
Passed in 1972, the Massachusetts statute outlaws the sale of a “theme, term paper, thesis or other paper or the written results of research” if those involved know or have reason to know that the material will be submitted for academic credit and represented as original work. The law also prohibits individuals from taking an exam for someone else… Violators are subject to a fine of not more than $100, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. Sixteen other states have similar laws, and most colleges and universities have policies on academic integrity prohibiting students from passing off someone else’s work as their own.
Legal Blog Watch links to the relevant statute.
Despite the laws against this, there are numerous businesses (Papergeeks.com, 15000papers.com, Schoolsucks.com, and echeat.com) that advertise their services online, with slogans like “It’s not cheating, it’s collaborating.”
Stetson’s law school dean weighs in to say that it’s a big problem nationwide:
But Darby Dickerson, dean of the law school at Stetson University in Gulfport, Florida, and the author of a 2007 article on academic plagiarism in the Villanova Law Review that said “cheating and plagiarism are as common on college campuses as dirty laundry and beer.”
If you were among those laid off by Goodwin Procter, it sounds like the kids at Stetson might have some work for you.
FN1 - The journalist misspelled Bonazzoli’s name with two “l”s. According to his listing with the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, his last name has just one “l”. Unfortunately for his search results, we’ve corrected the record on this in our post.
Term paper trafficking [Commonwealth]
Appeals Court Lawyer ‘Traffics’ in Term Papers [Legal Blog Watch]
Mass. Appeals Court Lawyer Reportedly Offered to Write Term Paper for $300 [ABA Journal]
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Comments
FIRST
Certain ATL readers have criticized me for noting that someone is better than others by virtue of having a preeminent peer education. To prove this point, one reader said that "Iowa is a good school."
Iowa is a good school, just like the Philadelphia Phillies are a good ball team--both seem fine and sufficient until push comes to shove and their crippling defects are revealed.
stupid law
JaKe and PE's comments are what I most look forward to on this blog.
Carrie Prejean in "An Ill-Advised Way To Make $300"
so what? He pays a 100 dollar fine and has $200 in profit.
Quick and serious question.
If it is illegal to do this, is it also illegal for an unemployed lawyer to offer his services to ghost write, let's say, appellate briefs that will be purchased by lazy attorneys who will then turnaround and claim credit for the brief? I understand many attorneys advertise these types of services in legal periodicals.
6 -
Your analysis is lacking. He also may go to jail for six months, at which point his gross profit on the transaction would = $300 - $100 - ($94,000/2).
Isn't "jake" slang for "hand job"?
7, the law applies to papers submitted for academic credit - so, quick and serious answer, no.
@6:
...until some ADA decides to push for the 6 months.
I must admit "Hand Job Emeritus" has a certain ring to it.
poor guy.
Above the Law...where amazing happens
9, Thanks for the quick reply. What a relief that I can still keep my day job and keep calling myself the "Grey Ghost-writer."
Yours, 7
New awaiting bar results jobs!
Kash, I don't know what kind of allowance Lat gives you, but a "five figure salary" is pretty much the norm in North America.
Carrie Prejean in "Hand Job Emeritus"
Not to mention he is obviously not cut out for a life of crime. I mean the guy would probably hand a teller his business card at a bank robbery.
What happened to that guy "The Judge"? His presence is sorely missed. Now all we have left is P.E., JaKe, and assorted other losers like Emir Partnerius.
18, wouldn't a better title be "Hand job Emeritus" in Carrie Prejean
Kash,
Please become my wife and make sexy sexy with me. Thank you much. please yes
ShaFeef
20- there hasn't been a decent shtick on this site since Douche Patrol (do not confuse with the godawful Douchie) stopped posting.
Carrie Prejean shaves her kashmir hill.
good job following Randazza's blog on this one. Why not just post a link? It's easier than pretending to write it yourself.
A "five-figure salary" wasn't enough for him? What a greedy prick!
only a state-level clerk would do this. TTT
Wow! He makes a "five figure salary"? He must be raking it in...
Think of what he might have done had he only been making a four-figure salary!
only a state-level clerk would do this. TTT
only a state-level clerk would do this. TTT
At least he didn't use the Good Samaritan Punishment Act of 2010 as an affirmative defense.
Goodwin PROCTOR? Sounds like you should be hiring this guy to write your posts.
At least he didn't use the Good Samaritan Punishment Act of 2010 as an affirmative defense.
How often does Kash have sex?
discuss
Kash makes a 4-figure salary and all the ass lobster she can eat. Is that enough for her?
Why would anyone write a 20-page paper for a measly $300? Why not get a side job at freaking Mickey D's while you're at it, counselor?
11, 8
There is no way he goes to jail for six months over this. Not no how, not no way. $200 profit at worst.
6
Kash
Did you invite Elie to run with you and lat in the morning?
Or he might be subject to professional discipline for violating the law, in contravention of his obligations under the Mass. Disciplinary Rules. Which would adversely affect his chances for advancement. Wonder how that figures into the equation you trolls are working on.
Am I the only one that thinks $300 is not enough money to research and write a twenty page paper? Especially if it means putting your reputation on the line?
And the othe crime would be theft of services because he likely would write the paper while at work using the state's computer.
"[H]e likely makes a five-figure salary. Apparently that wasn’t enough money for him"
Um...technically isn't $10,000 (well below the poverty line) a "five-figure salary"? Seems like, to appropriately convey your disdain, you should have said "he likely makes almost $100,000/year" That would be more impressive (but just barely).
Fired, no? He works for judges, right? Probably not the first time either, eh? Bet the relatively low fee is because he writes the papers while "working" at his regular job. FIRED, FIRED, FIRED!
I know a kid who goes to sTTTetson.........he may actually be a mentally challenged.
STTTeTTTson is a terrible terrible TTTerrible law school
So, where did this douche go to law school? I'm way too lazy to look this up by myself.