Her Lucky Day

Addicted to shopping, a defendant wins clemency

The notion of personal responsibility took another shot in the chops last week when Matthew F. Kennelly, a federal district judge in Chicago, ruled that Elizabeth Randolph ("Randy") Roach, 47, should not serve up to 18 months in prison for embezzling $241,061 from her former employer. Instead, the judge sentenced the defendant to five years' probation, six months of weekends confined to her home, six weeks of incarceration in a Salvation Army work-release center and a $30,000 fine. Lawyers on both sides of the case said it was the first time a shopaholic defense has triumphed in a U.S. courtroom.

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