Oh, nyet!
A Vicodin-addicted former Miss Russia with a 44-count prescription narcotics indictment can’t find work — and Manhattan prosecutors want to make it even harder on her by keeping her away from all retail and doctor’s office jobs.
“We’re extremely concerned,” prosecutor Charlotte Fishman said of ex-beauty queen Anna Malova, who also has a shoplifting rap and recently tested positive for trace amounts of the anti-anxiety drug Klonopin.
Malova, 40, was crowned Miss Russia in 1998, and is a former Miss Universe finalist. She was busted two years ago for allegedly stealing and filling prescriptions to feed her addiction, and was allowed into a drug program in lieu of jail.
A physician in her former country, Malova has been applying to jobs at doctors’ offices and retail stores like Banana Republic, prosecutors complain.
Today, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Neil Ross became the third judge to deny prosecutors’ request to bar Malova from any retail or medical job.
“I would actually prefer that she find a job,” said Ross. “It seems to me that if nothing else, the stability of some kind of employment … with a rigorous schedule, in my experience is something that would assist somebody in their recovery,” he said. “So I’m not going to place limitations on where Miss Malova can look for work.”
“In today’s economy,” argued her lawyer, Robert Gottlieb, “It’s like the DA’s office is begging her to fail.”
The judge also warned Malova to stay off drugs entirely.
“Miss Malova, if you’re in violation of your [drug] program, it’s going to be a question of liberty,” Ross warned. Malova returns to court next month for an update on her program compliance and job search.
“She has continued to work very hard to find a job,” said her lawyer. “Every day she’s out trying.”