WASHINGTON, July 24 (RIA Novosti) – A Ukrainian personal assistant who stole nearly $1 million from her hedge fund manager boss has turned to an Internet crowd sourcing site to raise the $821,000 she owes in restitution costs, or will face jail, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
Renata Shamrakova, 28, was formerly employed as a personal assistant by Todd Meister, Chairman and CEO of Meister Company LLC., and during 2011 and 2012 she used his credit cards to purchase clothes, jewelry and furniture and to fund international trips, according to the Daily News.
Having pleaded guilty to grand larceny and evidence tampering March 20, she faces up to 3 years in jail if she cannot repay her debt to her boss, who gained brief tabloid notoriety when he was married to Paris Hilton’s sister Nicky.
“I am hopeful that someone will see past the media blitz and conclude that I deserve a second chance to restart my life while there is still an opportunity to do so,” Shamrakova explains on gofundme.com.
As of this writing she had raised $175 from three donors over five days.
