Jessica Vega, an upstate New York bride, admitted in court yesterday she made up an outrageous story that she was dying of cancer just so she could get thousands of dollars worth of wedding freebies.
Vega, 25, cried in court yesterday as Orange County Assistant Attorney General Emmanuel Nneji questioned her.
“You continued to foster that story that you had cancer and you were dying, is that correct?” Nneji asked.
“Yes, sir,” a tearful Vega replied.
Vega bamboozled well-meaning neighbors out of thousands of dollars in cash when she lied about dying of leukemia and said her last wish was a beautiful wedding. State prosecutors say that she maintained the lie for months just to get freebies and donations to enjoy a lavish ceremony and an Aruba honeymoon in 2010.
In total she accepted more than $13,000 in donations, including even a free wedding dress.
She even showed people a doctor’s note claiming she was indeed dying, but she confessed in court that that letter was faked.
After the wedding, Vega’s husband — they have since reportedly divorced — confessed the scam to the Times Herald-Record, which had also covered her “illness” before their wedding.
She faced up to four years in prison, but as part of her plea agreement, Vega will avoid jail time. Instead, she must pay all the money back to those who gave to her.
