Richmond attorney is charged with smuggling cellphones, drugs to inmate

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I've had bad days too, but never one this bad.

Richmond attorney who received two $10K checks as UVA law student on the Ellen DeGeneres show is charged with smuggling cellphones, drugs to inmate

BY MARK BOWES Richmond Times-Dispatch 2 hrs ago

A Richmond lawyer who won national attention five years ago for helping incarcerated juvenile offenders as a University of Virginia law student has been indicted on multiple charges of smuggling cellphones and drugs to an inmate at Riverside Regional Jail.

A central Virginia multijurisdictional grand jury on April 20 indicted Dana Lauren Tapper, 30, of Richmond, on one count each of providing a prisoner with a cellphone, providing a prisoner with drugs and distribution of a controlled substance. She also was indicted on three accompanying counts of conspiracy, according to court records. The indictments were unsealed Monday.

Tapper, who was arrested Wednesday, gained national exposure in 2013 when she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show and was recognized for volunteering her time outside of her classes at the U.Va. School of Law to "help children transition out of juvenile detention centers in Virginia," according to a law school news story at the time.
....

Tapper remains an attorney in "good standing" in Virginia with an active law license, but she is scheduled to appear June 22 at a Virginia State Bar hearing for "misconduct," according to the State Bar's website. A Bar spokesman on Friday said details of the complaint against Tapper could not be disclosed at this point. ... Tapper, who has been released on bond, is scheduled to appear Thursday in Prince George Circuit Court for appointment of counsel. Fierro said Tapper is being represented by attorney Craig Cooley.

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[janterry]

1. bad boundaries

sounds like she developed a relationship with an inmate