PHOENIX – A Phoenix attorney, Nicole Marie Abarca, was suspended for two years on July 3, 2019 after being convicted of facilitation to commit shoplifting with artifice and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Abarca was already serving a six-month and one day suspension after failing to comply with the State Bar diversion program and subsequent investigation stemming from related criminal activity.
Abarca was convicted of shop lifting in three separate criminal proceedings in March and July of 2018. In October 2018, she was convicted of the crimes that led to her two-year suspension. During her arrest Abarca admitted to using heroin for approximately 2.5 years.
Nicole Marie Abarca’s two-year suspension was effective on July 3, 2019. She was ordered to pay $2,000 for the costs and expenses incurred by the State Bar of Arizona during disciplinary proceedings.