Typically, we think of theft crimes and white collar crimes as motivated by greed. A CEO commits investment fraud in order to fund a lavish lifestyle. A non-profit treasurer wants a new car or a designer wardrobe. A construction head wants plastic surgery and expensive trips. Certainly, greed is a powerful motivator.

So is desperation. So is addiction.

Often, embezzlement and theft are conducted on a much smaller scale. An employee finds himself or herself in dire financial straits, looking at foreclosure of a home or repossession of an automobile. Desperate to come up with the money he or she needs to keep possession of the family home or other property, the employee "borrows" money from company accounts with every intent to repay. However, he or she is unable to repay the money or is caught before the money is replaced, and now the employee is in both financial trouble and legal trouble.

Sometimes, the financial difficulties in which a person finds himself or herself come from pure and simple bad luck. Other times, an addiction fuels the financial destruction. Often, this addiction may be a drug addiction, or it may be a gambling addiction.

Earlier this year, a Lawton woman was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and five years of probation after she was convicted of stealing more than $840,000 and gambling it away in a matter of months.

Investigators say the woman worked for a company responsible for transporting money from banks to ATMs. In late 2011, Maria Estelle Martin began keeping the money rather than delivering it to its intended destination. The theft was discovered in early 2012 when the ATM machines were found empty.

In September 2013, the 47-year-old woman pleaded guilty to embezzling cash from a credit institution. Although she faced the possibility of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, she was sentenced to just 33 months in a federal prison in Texas. Upon release, she will serve five years of supervised probation.

Martin is also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $846,670.

In just a few short months, a woman with no criminal record--a former home room mother and girl scout leader--became a criminal, stealing hundreds of thousand dollars and gambling it all away. Clearly, the gambling loss of nearly $850,000 is more than a matter of recreation. It is a symptom of an addiction. Reports say Martin would visit casinos up to 10 times a day, blowing up to $70,000 in a single slot machine.

Virtually no one plans to become a criminal. However, desperate situations spiral out of control, making people victims of their own addictions. If you need help with a legal situation caused by a foolish decision or addiction, call Coventon Criminal Defense at (405) 417-3842.