CHOP Lawyer Hairston Sentenced to Four Years

The East Whiteland lawyer who $1.7 million from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia while employed there was sentenced Nov. 16 to 48 months in prison, according to media reports. He had entered a in July.

Hairston served as general counsel and executive vice president at the hospital as he set up shell corporations through which he embezzled the money between 1999 and 2011. Prosecutors said he used the funds to maintain a lavish lifestyle that included a yacht with a captain.

According to the AP article published Nov. 17 in the Lebanon Daily News, he was shown some leniency for his remorse, and had high-profile defenders:

Two former governors and several prominent lawyers wrote letters of support for the 46-year-old Hairston. He faced six to seven years under federal guidelines.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Hairston had been earning $500,000 to $700,000 during the time he was embezzling the funds, and he will report to jail within 90 days of the sentencing