Paralegal Has 1 Month to Pay $7.5K and Get 45 Days re $72K Law Firm Trust Account Spending Spree
After several years of preliminary hearings and negotiations, a Florida paralegal who is accused, along with her boss, of using a $72,000 client trust account as an ATM to fund their spending sprees is down to the wire.
Either Kristen Collins Lausburg, 32, comes up with a final $7,500 in restitution by her next court date of April 27 or she is going to trial, the St. Petersburg Times reports.
If convicted of the four counts of grand theft, she faces she could get up to 40 years in prison. Her plea deal calls for her to be sentenced to 45 days followed by house arrest and probation.
The onetime paralegal in the Pasco law office of Jessica Miller has previously made other restitution payments, including a $20,000 check last year.
Miller last year pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and got four years. She paid $250 in restitution, which she earned in a garage sale, the newspaper notes.
Earlier coverage:
Former Fla. Lawyer and Her Paralegal Charged with Stealing Client Funds
As Attorney Went on Trust Account-Funded Spending Spree, Client Slept in Car, He Tells Judge
Ex-Attorney Antes Up $250 from Garage Sale, Gets 4.5 Years in Client Theft Case
