NEW YORK, March 21 (UPI) -- A former assistant to hedge executive Todd Meister pleaded guilty in New York to embezzling more than $800,000 from him.
Renata Shamrakova, 28, was arrested in February 2012 and charged with grand larceny for allegedly stealing $821,000 from Meister while she worked for him as his personal assistant, the New York Post reported.
Until she pleaded guilty Wednesday, Shamrakova maintained that the money had been given to her by Meister during the course of an alleged workplace love affair.
Shamrakova avoided a possible 15-year prison sentence in exchange for the guilty plea, as long as she pays Meister back within two years, the newspaper said. If she fails to pay the restitution on schedule, she will be forced to serve less than one year in prison.
After the plea agreement was made, Meister said he was pleased that "justice was served."
"I appreciate the hard work that the [District Attorney] did in this case and their willingness to look at the facts," Meister told the Post.
