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On Wednesday, a court in Orange County sentenced a New York bride who swindled well wishers by faking terminal cancer and asking for money to have her ‘dream wedding’ in the Caribbean. She was ordered to return $13,368.48 to her victims, which included both individuals and businesses. She convinced everyone that she had only a few months to live and wanted to have a honeymoon blast which she couldn’t afford. She wed in the Caribbean and had her honeymoon in Aruba on other people’s money, who were thinking that they were helping a dying woman fulfill her dream.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said in a statement, “I am pleased that the community members, who felt so compelled to generously help a neighbor in need, will be given back their hard-earned money.” He also added, “To prey on people’s emotions by pretending to have a terminal illness is unconscionable.”
On top of returning the money to her victims, Jessica Vega, the “dying bride” was sentenced to time already served in jail and ordered to do 300 hours of community service and also serve five years on probation. Before her release on Wednesday, she had already served eight weeks in jail.
Honeymoon in the Caribbean, vacation in jail.
Jessica had agreed to repay the nine known victims before Wednesday and the checks would be sent out to her victims over the coming week.
Jessica Vega, 25, deceived her neighbors in the Hudson Valley area of New York and married one Michael O’Connell. Her scheme fell through when O’Connell learned of the scam and contacted the Times-Herald Record in Orange County and reported her in. However, he was present on Wednesday to pick her up from jail.
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