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The fiancé of disgraced NFL star Aaron Hernandez is making headlines this week. The woman with whom Hernandez shares a daughter is being accused of improperly spending their child’s trust fund.
Hernandez was arrested and convicted of murder in June of 2013. The conviction stemmed from an altercation with the fiancé’s sister’s then-boyfriend.
Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell before an appeal of the case could be completed. Following his death, a trust fund in the amount of more than $830K was left to his daughter. Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez is now in the news for spending that money for her own personal use.
More details are unveiled in a report by the Boston Globe.
[Attorney David] Schwartz reviewed how Jenkins-Hernandez had been spending the money: $36,858 on clothing, including maternity wear; $39,347 on home goods; $25,577 shopping online; $11,792 in “self-care,” including gym fees, and visits to hair and nail salons.
Schwartz was shocked by what he saw on the expenditure forms: tens of thousands of dollars in what he called “questionable” expenses, such as $4,800 in charges at Harrods Department Store, that seemed to benefit her more than her daughter. She made $29,650 in ATM withdrawals and paid $13,778 in bank charges — mostly overdraft fees.
There were also payments made to a college, which 10-year-old Avielle is not yet attending.
The report notes that Jenkins-Hernandez was already receiving a separate source of income due to the former Patriots’ NFL pension to pay for the child’s daily expenses — in the amount of $150K per year. Despite that income, their daughter was at one point receiving public assistance.
Jenkins-Hernandez also tried, unsuccessfully, to sue the NFL over a diagnosis of CTE.
The ex-fiancé couldn’t benefit from any moneys left after Aaron Hernandez’s death since the two were not married and didn’t have a will. Their daughter was the sole heir, but her mother is the conservator of the money left to her.
With breaking news of the accusations flooding the internet, many on social media are beginning to post their opinions. Take a look at what they were saying.
One person wrote, “Trust shouldn’t be touched, on any account. She’s sick. It should be locked until it can be released to the daughter at the supposed age.”
Another posted their solution by saying, “A third party that acts in the best interests of the child should be appointed.”
It will be interesting to see what comes out of the case, but Aaron Hernandez’s fiancé continues to maintain her innocence. Her lawyer says that the allegations are “much ado about nothing.”
Related: Aaron Hernandez’s fiancé reacts to chilling Netflix documentary about the former player