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Passing on 40-Year Plea Deal, Paralegal Indicted for Embezzling $1 Million

By Eric Lipman

Out in the west Texas town called El Paso, a former paralegal and office manager has been indicted for allegedly embezzling over $1 million from the law firm where she worked between 1999 and 2007. According to the ABA Journal (via the El Paso Times), Rosanne Stogner's duties at Oaxaca, Bernal & Associates included "paying bills." And that she did. Including the bills for her daughter's personal trainer. Stogner (whose mugshot was apparently taken underwater) also allegedly wrote checks to herself, her husband and her husband's fence company. The husband, Michael, was indicted as well. Mr. Stogner's attorney, Michael Gibson (who wants you to "stop worrying" and call him, should you ever be arrested), said that the charges against his client were filed only after Mrs. Stogner turned down a plea deal pursuant to which she would have served 40 years in prison, which he said is more than most murder defendants receive. He suspects the Oaxaca firm may have some shady connections to the district attorney's office, and has "started going back in to the campaign contributions to the court and to the DA's office to see if there's any political influence there." And I thought nothing exciting happened...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on August 18, 2010 (boomark / email).