Casey Anthony Pleads Guilty ...To Check Fraud
Photo: Casey Anthony and her daughter Caylee.
Anthony was facing 13 counts of check fraud for allegedly going on a spending spree during the summer of 2008 - around the time her daughter disappeared. Prosecutors said she found the checks while borrowing her former best friend, Amy Huizenga's, car.
Anthony is facing the death penalty for the murder of her daughter Caylee in 2008. Anthony reported her daughter missing July of 2008, setting off a massive search, with thousands of volunteers, in central Florida.
Photo: Casey Anthony weeps during a sentencing hearing Jan. 25 for check fraud.
Suspicion quickly settled on Anthony and, in December 2008, a meter reader found Caylee's body in the woods near Anthony's parents' home.
Anthony's defense team has proclaimed her innocence, at times pointing the finger at a nanny, other times saying the meter reader, Roy Kronk, was responsible. The defense intends to interview Kronk's ex-wife, who, they believe, will provide testimony that supports their theory of the crime.
During the pleading hearing, Anthony tearfully apologized for her actions saying, "I just want everyone to know I'm sorry for what I did,"
"I take complete and full responsibility for my actions," she told the judge.
Followers of the case may wonder if Anthony was talking about more than check fraud.
Prosecutors had asked for five years on the fraud case but Judge Stan Strickland sentenced her to time served as well as probation if she is ever released from custody.
Anthony is currently being held on a single charge of first-degree murder for Caylee's death.
The trial for Caylee's murder is scheduled to begin summer 2010 but a prosecutor on the case recently said that didn't seem likely.
MORE ON CRIMESIDER
December 21, 2009 - Casey Anthony Could Face Death Penalty in Caylee Anthony Murder Trial, Judge Rules
December 11, 2009 - Casey Anthony Lawyers Seek to Block Death Penalty
November 20, 2009 - Casey Anthony Defense: Meter Reader Roy Kronk Killed Caylee Anthony
November 9, 2009 - Book 'Em: Mommy's Little Girl -- Casey Anthony and her Daughter Caylee's Tragic Fate
October 21, 2009 - Police Interrogations: Questioning Casey Anthony
October 19, 2009 - 911: Where's Caylee Anthony?
September 30, 2009 - Duct Tape in Caylee Anthony Murder Case Contaminated by FBI
September 25, 2009 - Heart-Wrenching Caylee Anthony Evidence Destroyed, FBI Docs Show
August 24, 2009 - Casey Anthony's Defense Revealed
July 8, 2009 - Casey Anthony Trial Delayed Until 2010