Lawyer convicted of killing bicyclist accused of having medication in jail

An Orange County attorney convicted this year of killing a bicyclist while driving under the influence of prescription drugs has been accused of having a controlled substance while in jail, authorities said Tuesday.

Hasti Fakhrai-Bayrooti, 41, faces a felony drug possession charge after jail officials found her with Clonazepam, usually prescribed to treat anxiety, seizures and panic attacks, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Her attorney, William Weinberg, declined to comment on the new accusation.

Fakhrai-Bayrooti, a resident of Rancho Santa Margarita, pleaded guilty March 10 to a felony count of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the March 15, 2013, death of Eric Billings.

According to prosecutors, Fakhrai-Bayrooti was driving southbound on Santa Margarita Parkway after ingesting Xanax, Suboxone and other prescription drugs. She veered into a bike lane and struck Billings, 54, whose body was thrown over the hood and windshield, prosecutors said.

Billings was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fakhrai-Bayrooti had been free on bail, but on May 8, the day of her scheduled sentencing, Weinberg requested a delay and she was taken into custody.

She is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday and faces up to four years in state prison. Her attorney said he planned to ask the judge to reschedule the sentencing to a later date.

Fakhrai-Bayrooti had been admitted to practice law by the California state bar since 2005. On Monday, the state bar ordered an interim suspension of her law license.

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