Gambling Granny Asks Court for Treatment, Not Prison
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — A judge has thrown out the conviction of a Las Vegas grandmother who claims a gambling addiction made her steal more than $500,000 from the plumbing business where she kept the books for almost 25 years.
Clark County District Court Judge Jessie Walsh on Monday set a June 29 hearing to decide if 53-year-old Jerry Nann Meador qualifies for a rarely used gambler’s diversion treatment program.
Meador’s lawyers say she’s a perfect candidate.
Meador was sentenced in January 2014 to four-to-10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony theft charges.
Prosecutors say she may have taken as much as $1 million, and also made credit card, cellphone and satellite television payments.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that diversion has been granted just twice in nearly seven years since state lawmakers authorized treatment instead of prison for nonviolent problem gamblers.
