Former Erie trustee draws 90 days' jail, 12 years' probation Novak barred from adoption work

BOULDER — A judge sentenced former Erie trustee Lisa Novak to 90 days in jail and 12 years of probation Friday, and has also barred her from working in the adoption field.
Novak, 48, was convicted in December of stealing from clients of the Claar Foundation, an international adoption agency she operated with her husband Martin Claar. A jury found her guilty of two counts of theft of $20,000 or more, one count of theft between $1,000 and $20,000, and fraud by check.
Boulder District Judge Maria Berkenkotter said Novak must also pay back her victims and work 100 hours of community service. The judge denied a request to postpone the sentence until after an appeal is resolved.
"I do have concerns ... that this is not a case of simple poor decision-making," Berkenkotter told Novak at the sentencing. "Some of your statements suggest that you may not understand the impact of your conduct. ... What was stolen in this case went beyond money. You stole families' trust and, in some cases, their ability to adopt a child."
Prosecutors accused Novak of taking payments from clients and then failing to arrange for the adoptions. Her defense attorney, Lance Goff, said at the trial that international adoptions are risky and that payment never guarantees success.
Testimony for and against Novak at Friday's sentencing frequently grew emotional. Her 19-year-old daughter, Alexandra Speers, begged the judge to grant clemency, saying that Novak's two adopted daughters from Russia were still too fragile to have their mother gone for so long.
"The mother I knew is nothing like the portrait created in the newspapers," Speers said. "My mother taught us a morality and spirituality that is completely inconsistent with the way she was portrayed in this courtroom."