A former Coca-Cola secretary charged with stealing new product samples from her employer and trying to sell the materials to rival Pepsi is so despondent she considered returning to jail to be sure of getting food, medicine and shelter, her lawyer said Monday.

Joya Williams, indicted July 11 along with two men on a federal conspiracy charge, appeared depressed and as though she hadn’t eaten in a while during a visit last week with the court-appointed lawyer, Janice Singer.