Nowitzki's Taylor Gives Real Name in Court

By FRANK HEINZ

Updated 11:58 AM CST, Mon, May 18, 2009

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KXAS

Cristal Taylor, the woman arrested at the home of Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, gave her real name in a Beaumont courtroom Monday.

Taylor, 37, told Judge John Stevens that her real name is Crista Ann Taylor shortly before he reset her hearing for June 8.

Taylor is accused of scheming Dr. Joel Lane Smith out of more than $10,000 in dental work after she paid with a bogus credit card. She was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail in Beaumont last week after her May 6 arrest in Dallas for a probation violation in Missouri.

She was arraigned on a theft of services charge Thursday.

Taylor's bond was raised from $20,000 to $50,000 at the request of Jefferson County officials, Dallas County spokeswoman Kim Leach said.

Leach said she had no record of an attorney for Taylor.

Nowitzki didn't want to discuss the situation before the Maverick's shootaround last week before the team's Game 5 against Denver.

"Basketball business is public business. My private life is private business. This is private business," said Nowitzki.

Nowitzki is not the first professional athlete to have a relationship with Cristal Taylor, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday. Former NFL quarterback Tony Banks told the paper that Taylor showed her "crazy" side early and tried to turn his life and career upside down in 1997 when their brief relationship soured.

"This is unbelievable," Banks told the Dallas Morning News. "This is wild. I can't believe it's the same chick."

Sources have told media outlets that Nowitzki reportedly bought Taylor a $250,000 engagement ring.