Gambling news from http://www.dailyrecord.com/
Morristown resident stole from Harding restaurant where she was bookkeeper
An admitted gambling addict was sentenced on Friday to five years' probation and was ordered to repay Pierre's Restaurant in Harding the $29,070 she stole while employed there as a bookkeeper.
Susan Russell, 38, of Morristown, pleaded guilty in April to theft by deception from the restaurant and wine bar between last July and March. Authorities said Russell, while using some of the money for personal expenses, was addicted to online gambling and sometimes visited Atlantic City.
She was charged on March 7, and spent 10 days in the Morris County jail before posting $5,000 cash bail.
Russell's plea bargain with the county prosecutor's office called for her to be sentenced to probation, restitution, counseling and regular attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings. Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Falcone, sitting in Morristown, went along with the plea bargain, telling Russell that she must either address her gambling problem or face state prison if she violates probation.
Her habit landed her in trouble in the past. She was convicted in Union County in May 1996 of theft by deception and was sentenced to three years' probation and restitution of $43,000.
In 1999, she again was convicted of theft by deception of $300,000 in Union County and received a six-year sentence. She was released under the state's Intensive Supervision Program, a rigorous, early-parole program, after serving just six months.
"If she fails to address her gambling, there is a clear-cut risk of re-offense," Falcone said.
Russell paid $1,000 toward restitution on Friday and must pay a minimum of $100 a month to repay the restaurant. A portion of its losses was covered by an insurance provider, which she also must repay.
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