Back in 2017, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez took his own life in a prison cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Hernandez had recently been acquitted on double homicide charges, but was still facing a lengthy stint behind bars, having previously been convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd.
In his suicide note, Hernandez promised his fianceé, Shayanna Jenkins, a bright financial future.
“You’re rich,” he wrote, seemingly referencing a legal loophole that allow Jenkins to collect Hernandez’s NFL pension.
Now, however, it seems that Jenkins might have that promise of wealth too literally.
According to new report from People magazine, Jenkins is being forced to answer some difficult questions about how she’s spending money intended for Avielle Hernandez, her 10-year-old daughter by Aaron.
Issues arose when Jenkins attempted to spend $10,000 on dance lessons for Avielle, and the trustee, an attorney named David Schwartz, objected to the request.
This led to a situation in which Schwartz demanded invoices, and Jenkins was forced to justify her exorbitant spending.
In recent months, Jenkins spend $17,000 on clothing, $10,000 on both entertainment expenses and “online shopping,” several thousand in “self-care” costs, and $12,000 spent at the store HomeGoods.
“Large amounts of money are spent under each category of the Accountings, with little clear identification of how these disbursements benefit Avielle,” read court documents obtained by People.
“The Trustee understands that providing for Avielle includes expenses related to her household, but the expenditures from her late father’s NFL pension and Social Security benefits merit investigation for their reasonableness, if not correctness.”
Yes, it sounds as though this is just the beginning of the investigation into Jenkins’ expenditures.
She’s probably not facing any sort of legal consequences, but there’s a chance that her access to Avielle’s trust will be revoked.
Jenkins welcomed a second daughter in 2018, and she has formally requested that Schwartz be removed as the executor of her daughter’s trust.
“There is every reason to question whether and how the Conservator is applying the significant resources that should be available to pay for Avielle’s daily needs, including dance lessons, especially since all of her basic housing security and educational expenses are paid from the Trust,” Schwartz’s legal team asserts.
Hernandez’s story remains one of the most notorious in the history of American sports, and now it seems it’s taken another dark turn.
We can only hope that the present matter will be resolved in a timely fashion so as to spare his daughter any additional trauma.
The young girl has been through a tremendous amount already, and hopefully, all parties involved have her best interests at heart.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
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