Jessica Vega, 25, formerly of Montgomery, New York, claimed to have only a few months to live and wanted to fulfil her wish of having a dream wedding. She faces six felony charges.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, in a statement, said the woman had raised thousands of dollars with her false cancer story, and used the money to pay for a May 2010 wedding and a honeymoon to Aruba.
Vega enjoyed financial help from various businesses and establishments including a restaurant and a bridal dress shop, after the news of her plight spread.
The bubble soon burst, however, after Vega’s new husband rang the Times Herald-Record, an Orange County, New York newspaper, accusing Vega of faking the illness.
The couple divorced over the incident, her former husband, Michael O’Connell told the paper. O’Connell has not been charged over the incident.
But in a bizarre final twist, the newspaper added that the couple had recently reunited.
“By pretending to have a terminal illness, Vega inexcusably took advantage of the community’s hearts and minds, and profited off of their generosity,” Schneiderman said.
Vega was arraigned on Friday and pleaded not guilty. The felony charges carry a maximum sentence of four years in Prison.
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