All Articles Tagged "indictment"
That’s Really Ratchet: Woman Pretends to Have Terminal Cancer To Obtain Lavish Wedding
Jessica Vega and Michael O'Connell - Source: http://www.recordonline.com
A former resident of New York, 25-year-old Jessica Vega has been charged for lying about having leukemia in order to get lavish wedding gifts and money. People donated to the woman after she made them believe that she was dying. An Orange County grand jury has indicted her with five counts of grand larceny and one count of scheme to defraud for accepting thousands of dollars worth of items and donated services for her big day. Vega got married in 2010, and she and her husband, Michael O’Connell, went to Aruba for their honeymoon. However, four months later O’Connell revealed to people that his new wife faked the illness. I’m guessing he thought her actions were just as dirty as everyone else, because they allegedly divorced over the incident (according to AP). O’Connell says that he wasn’t aware that she was faking when they got married (sounds like someone got trapped…), and when he found out, he helped with the attorney general’s investigation. O’Connell and Vega have two kids now, and despite how bad this makes Vega look, her former husband says, “She’s a good mom, and that’s all that counts at the end of the day. I want my kids to have their mother back.” He believes that she needs mental health treatment rather than jail.
According to the Times Herald-Record, Vega told numerous publications and people that her wish before she passed was to marry O’Connell, the father of her daughter. Reports on it helped the woman garner more and more donations, as people from far and wide rushed to help her have a beautiful wedding and honeymoon. She even showed fake documentation to prove she was in fact ill:
“Vega had offered a letter, purportedly from a Westchester doctor, as proof of her diagnosis, but the doctor’s staff later denied seeing Vega. Along with the felonies, Vega faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing a forged instrument.”
Blame it on the wedding obsessed culture we live in (Hey Bridezillas!) or the fact that this lady just really is a very troubled and cold person, but it’s very sad and pathetic to see that people are out here lying about a serious illness so that they can drop it low in an expensive gown and tan on the beach during a honeymoon they lied to get. She needs to do a lot of community service, soul searching, pay everyone back and hope that karma doesn’t come back to bite her in the behind, because she was wrong on every level possible.
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Tags:
Aruba, bridezilla, cancer, charges, fraud, honeymoon, indictment, lavish, leukemia, lying, Madame Noire, money, scheme, terminal, weddingGallup Poll: Non-Blacks Less Sure Race Was a Major Factor in Trayvon Martin Case
Christiansciencemonitor.com
Trayvon Martin’s case has become such a hot button national issue that USA Today/Gallup recently took a poll to gauge Americans’ opinions on the topic and how much bearing race has on those different stances. In a random sample of 3,006 adults, 242 of whom were black, and the remaining 2,764 who were non-black, stark racial divides were seen on a number of key issues in the case.
In terms of who’s even paying attention to developments surrounding the murder, 52% of blacks say they are following the news about the case very closely with just 19% of non-blacks saying the same. The breakdown on other issues is as follows:
Zimmerman’s guilt
- 72% of blacks say Zimmerman is definitely or probably guilty of a crime; 1% say he is not.
- 32% of non-blacks say Zimmerman is definitely or probably guilty, while 7% say he is not.
Race as a factor in the case
- 72% of blacks say racial bias was a major factor in the events that led up to the shooting death of Trayvon; 13% consider it only a minor factor.
- 31% of non-blacks say racial bias was a major factor, 26% say it was a minor factor, and 25% say it wasn’t a factor at all.
Likelihood of George Zimmerman’s arrest if the victim was white
- 73% of blacks believe Zimmerman would have been arrested had the victim been white.
- 35% of non-blacks say he would have arrested had the victim been white.
Today it was announced that Trayvon’s case will not go before a grand jury, leaving the decision of George Zimmerman’s indictment entirely up to special prosecutor Angela Corey who could make a decision as early as this week. Many are hoping this means the neighborhood watch captain will soon be behind bars for good, but the prosecutor made it a point to say:
“The decision [not to put the case before a grand jury] should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case.”
One thing we know for sure is black people will continue to rally their support around Trayvon’s family in their call for justice, and hopefully as more and more facts continue to be presented, people will understand Zimmerman’s guilt, no matter how blind they are to the role race played in a number of decisions surrounding the case.
Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.
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Eddie Murphy’s Ex Conned out of Nearly Half of Divorce Money
Nicole Murphy took away $15 million from her marriage to comedian Eddie Murphy when they divorced in 2006, but now she’s been conned out of nearly half of that in just five years.
Acting as her financial manager, Troy Stratos defrauded Nicole out of $7 million—telling her he had invested her money overseas, when he actually just transferred most of it to his personal accounts.
Stratos also promised to help Nicole sell her home in Granite Bay, CA; instead he lived there in secret, rent free, and leased luxury cars in her name, TMZ reports.
As if that wasn’t enough, he also convinced Nicole to refinance that home and another in Sacramento, and then he used the money for his own personal expenses.
Luckily, Nicole finally caught on and the conman was indicted on charges of money laundering, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice, but I can’t even imagine the blow to her ego, not to mention her bank account. I can barely stand when I lose $5, I can’t even imagine what losing $7 million must feel like.
Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.
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Feds Indict Kwame Kilpatrick
(Click On Detriot) – Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been indicted on 18 counts of federal fraud and tax charges. Federal prosecutors said the alleged scheme is related to the Kilpatrick Civic Fund, a tax-exempt fund that was supposed to pay for voter education and other purposes. nstead, Kilpatrick is accused of using it as a slush fund to take cash payments for himself, friends and relatives.
Feds Indict Kwame Kilpatrick
(Click On Detriot) – Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been indicted on 18 counts of federal fraud and tax charges. Federal prosecutors said the alleged scheme is related to the Kilpatrick Civic Fund, a tax-exempt fund that was supposed to pay for voter education and other purposes. nstead, Kilpatrick is accused of using it as a slush fund to take cash payments for himself, friends and relatives.
