Bride Indicted For Faking Cancer To Score Dream Wedding
April 10 2012, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
By Debbie Emery - Breaking Celebrity News Reporter
A bride who claimed to have cancer to get the wedding of her dreams has walked down the aisle and into a prison, after being indicted for five counts of felony grand larceny and one count of scheme to defraud.
Jessica Vega, 25, of Montgomery, New York, tore at the heartstrings of both friends and strangers two years ago when she told them all she was dying of acute myeloid leukemia and that her last wish was to marry Michael O'Connell, the father of her young daughter, before she died, reported the Times Herald-Record.
The money-grabbing bride then allegedly accepted thousands of dollars of donated services and goods, including conning her dream wedding dress from struggling boutique owner Keri Ciastko of Bliss Bridal in New York.
"She pulled at my heartstrings. I've lost a lot of family members to cancer, so I did everything I could to help her,” she told ABCNews.com.
Vega was arraigned on Friday and is currently held in the Orange County Jail on $10,000 cash or $30,000 bond facing up to four years in prison.
“By pretending to have a terminal illness, Vega inexcusably took advantage of the