Lawyer who received $20K on 'Ellen' show is charged with smuggling contraband to inmate
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A lawyer who achieved some fame as a law student during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been accused of providing contraband to an inmate.
In an indictment unsealed Monday, Richmond lawyer Dana Lauren Tapper was charged with providing a prisoner with a cellphone and drugs, distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Tapper was a 3L at the University of Virginia when she appeared on Ellen in 2013, according to the Times-Dispatch. She was recognized for volunteer work on behalf of children in juvenile detention centers, and presented with $20,000. A friend of Tapper’s had written the show to say that Tapper was “steadfast in her commitment to helping those less fortunate.”
Prince George Commonwealth’s Attorney Susan Fierro said Tapper was not the attorney of record for the inmate, but she visited him and also made an appearance for him in Chesterfield Circuit Court.
In court papers, Tapper said she was unemployed.
