photo courtesy of CBS News
Ex-fiance of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez has been called out for allegedly mishandling over $100,000 of trust fund money meant for her ten-year-old daughter Avielle. Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez has been accused of using the money for herself on online shopping and personal salon visits, according to court statements and emails obtained by the Boston Globe.
The dispute arose when Jenkins-Hernandez requested the court-appointed trustee of the fund to pay for a $10,000 bill for Avielle’s dance lessons. Attorney David Schwartz shut it down immediately because Jenkins-Hernandez should have already had money being steadily supplied to her to pay for such expenses. The former Patriot player’s pension and Social Security funds should have been more than enough for the lessons. The deeper look into the trail of spending by Jenkins-Hernandez was reportedly concerning.
Both Schwartz and Jenkins-Hernandez are attempting to remove the other from the trust fund, with Shayanna denying the claims that she’s been irresponsibly spending money that isn’t hers.
Her lawyer said, “Any allegation or insinuation that she’s spending money inappropriately or for any other purpose is absolutely false.”
In an email to the outlet, she said, “Since Aaron’s death, my sole focus has been on raising and providing as stable a life for my children as possible. All monies I have spent have been with this singular focus in mind, and this will continue to be my focus going forward.”
On the other hand, Schwartz’s representative argued that he believed that Jenkins-Hernandez “has been co-mingling the child’s funds with her own,” and that “Ms. Jenkins-Hernandez’s ongoing conflict, her almost five-year-long record of excessive expenditures, continuous violation of this court’s decree … and her failure to file an inventory and up-to-date accounts all indicate that despite what might be her best intentions, Ms. Jenkins-Hernandez is not effectively performing her duties as conservator.”
Avielle is not allowed to access the funds for herself until she’s 25, and the trust currently has $700,000 in it.