Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Flaherty, Jr. announces that 56-year-old Lynne Laettner of Hamburg has pleaded guilty before State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns to Perjury in the Third Degree for providing false testimony in front of an Erie County Grand Jury regarding the death of Barry Moss.

Laettner is a close friend of Gabriele Ballowe who was driving on Route 5 in Evans in December of 2013 when she struck and killed 52-year-old Barry Moss and fled the scene.

In October, Ballowe pleaded guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting Resulting in Serious Physical Injury and will be sentenced December 20, 2016 by Justice Burns.

Justice Burns sentenced Laettner to a one year conditional discharge which means she must stay out of legal trouble for a year or she faces a jail term of up to one year.

“Truthful testimony is the cornerstone of our criminal justice system,” says acting DA Flaherty. “It hampers our ability to prosecute cases fairly when people violate the oath.”

DA Flaherty commends the Town of Evans Police Department, Lt. Douglas Czora, NYS Police, the FBI and Assistant District Attorneys and investigators from his office for their collaboration and outstanding investigative work in reopening this case.

Assistant District Attorneys Thomas M. Finnerty, Paul C. Parisi and Nicholas T. Texido all assisted in the prosecution of this case.