- A Lousiana woman was sentenced to 20 years behind bars after pretending to be an attorney and taking millions from an autistic man.
- Kristina Galjour pleaded guilty to practicing law without a license and theft on Monday, Nola.com reported.
- She is ordered to pay the victim $1.3 million in restitution.
A New Orleans, Louisiana woman, was reportedly sentenced to two decades in prison after posing as an attorney and scamming nearly $2 million from a man who is autistic.
The woman, identified as 45-year-old Kristina Galjour, pleaded guilty on Monday to three counts of practicing law without a license and for theft valued at over $25,000, Nola.com reported citing court documents.
The outlet reported that Galjour, who was not licensed to practice, started to pretend to be an attorney in 2016, a year after the 59-year-old man's parents died.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said his parents left him with a home in New Orleans and a trust fund, the New York Post reported, managed by Legacy Law Center — where Galjour was an employee.
The report said Galjour persuaded the man to give her power of attorney, resulting in her blowing his money on vacation, clothes, and multiple other luxurious purchases, including a Jaguar that she bought in his name.
According to reports, Galjour also influenced the man to give her his home in 2017 after claiming that his neighbors wanted to commit him to an institution.
When the man contacted the authorities, all the money in the trust was gone. WDSU-TV reported that Galjour was arrested in 2019.
Nola.com reported that her guilty plea also includes five other victims, who gave her thousands of dollars while she was acting as an attorney.
According to the report, a judge ordered her to pay restitution to the other victims, which also includes $1.3 million to the man.
"I'm glad it's over, and he finally understands that people believe him over her," Erica Dudas, an advocate for the man, told Nola.com.A GoFundMe created by Dudas, which has raised nearly $43,000, identifies the man as Lawrence Mopskik.