The Stanford Law graduate who paid off her student loans by prostituting herself is no longer able to afford her plea deal on tax evasion charges.
Cristina Warthen said in court papers that she is nearly $100,000 short of being able to pay for her plea bargain, the San Jose Mercury News reported. The deal allowed her to avoid prison time in lieu of one year of home detention and three years of probation.
A federal judge postponed Warthen's sentencing until August to give her time to resolve her financial situation.
It's a classic rags-to-riches-to-rags tale: The court papers state that Warthen's estranged husband, Ask.com founder David Warthen, had originally agreed to foot the $350,000 legal bill before the stock market plunge greatly diminished his wealth. He filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences," shortly after she agreed to plea guilty to the tax charges. Cristina Warthen says that she will now be able to get only $230,000 through their divorce proceedings.
Warthen became a high-end prostitute known as "Brazil" after graduating from Stanford Law School in 2001.
