COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A judge in central Ohio has sentenced a former lawyer to probation and community service for stealing death benefits intended for a child.
Police and prosecutors wanted 34-year-old Lindsey Burt to go to prison for altering documents to incorrectly show that she had become the guardian of a motherless boy in order to collect his death benefits. Burt stole more than $67,000 from April 2008 to April 2013.
Burt, of the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington, pleaded guilty in April to charges of theft and tampering with government records.
The Columbus Dispatch (https://bit.ly/1n38kL7) reports that Burt must complete the equivalent of 40 hours a week of community service for six weeks. If she violates probation, the judge said she would send Burt to prison for three years.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, https://www.dispatch.com
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