Ex-Lawyer Who Claimed Gambling Addiction Sentenced for Stealing
A disbarred New York lawyer who lost her gambling addiction lawsuit has been sentenced to three to nine years in prison for stealing from her client escrow account to support her casino sprees.
Arelia Taveras was sentenced last week after admitting she stole $130,000 to support her gambling, the New York Law Journal reports. She had pleaded guilty to five counts of grand larceny and one count of offering a false instrument for filing, according to the story.
Taveras had claimed in her lawsuit that seven casinos failed to stop her compulsive gambling that led to $1 million in losses. A federal judge dismissed the suit last year.
Taveras had alleged the casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas gave her high-roller treatment, offering her limousine rides and allowing her to bring her dog inside in her purse. She claimed she would stay at the tables for days without sleeping and eating, using disposable wipes to brush her teeth.
