There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Jessica Vega of New York wed the father of her nearly year-old daughter, Michael O’Connell, last year in May. Everyone knew this might be the last moments of joy for the couple with the 24-year-old Vega facing terminal myeloid leukemia.
Friends and family of the couple paid for the wedding, honeymoon and local retailers even donated the beautiful wedding dress to the tune of some $20,000. Her husband was expecting the worse and it never came so he demanded proof of her illness from her doctors – it never came.
According to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, “By pretending to have a terminal illness, Vega inexcusably took advantage of the community’s hearts and minds, and profited off of their generosity.” “Our office will hold this individual accountable for fleecing the public through lies and deception.”
According to reports her husband cooperated with the investigation and even after divorcing Vega had another child with her.
O’Connell is now staunchly in her corner and is hoping Vega won’t go to prison so she can take care of the kids.
Vega has been indicted on multiple counts of fraud and grand larceny and faces 1 to 4 years in prison if convicted.
