Give MySpace Hoaxer Probation: Lawyer

A Missouri mother involved in a MySpace hoax on a 13-year-old neighbor girl who committed suicide should be placed on probation for 1 year and fined $5,000 for her misdemeanor convictions, probation officials recommended. The recommendation was included in court documents filed yesterday by Lori Drew's attorney, Dean Steward, who portrayed Drew as out of work and harassed by angry neighbors.

Drew can no longer afford the $5,000 fine, said Steward, who added that Drew has had a brick tossed through her window and has received threatening letters by mail. "The harassment from neighbors in O'Fallon, Missouri, was vicious and nonstop, until the Drews moved from the neighborhood," he said. Convicted in November, Drew could face up to 3 years in prison for accessing computers without authorization. She is scheduled to be sentenced May 18.
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