Aaron Hernandez, a former New England Patriots football player, went to jail for killing a man and allegedly committed suicide while in prison. His daughter’s mother has recently been accused of misusing the money Hernandez left in a trust fund for their daughter.
According to The Boston Globe, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, who was engaged to Hernandez before he died, is the mother of their daughter, Avielle. The trustee of the trust fund set up for Avielle, attorney David Schwartz
, has accused Jenkins-Hernandez of improperly using funds from her daughter’s account.The accusation stems from Jenkins-Hernandez saying that she was unable to pay for her daughter’s dance lessons, which amounted to a $10,697 bill. This took place in September. She requested that the court-appointed trustee pay for the dance lessons using money from Avielle’s trust fund.
- In response, Schwartz denied the request by Jenkins-Hernandez, stating that by his calculations, she already receives $150,000 a year or more from the money she collects from Hernandez’s NFL pension as well as funds from Social Security that is earmarked to pay for the 10-year-old’s daily expenses.
Schwartz revealed the amount of money that Avielle’s mother spends: $36,858 on clothing, which included maternity wear; $39,347 on home goods; $25,577 shopping online; $11,792 in “self-care,” including fees for the gym and frequent visits to hair and nail salons.
“There is reason to question whether the expenditures were for Avielle’s benefit,” said attorney Robert O’Regan, who is representing Schwartz. “To be fair, this little girl should have a decent life with what her father left for her. No one would complain if there were reasonable expenses. We’re talking about over-the-top or otherwise unrelated expenses to Avielle.”
After Schwartz stated he wouldn’t pay for Avielle’s dancing bill, Jenkins-Hernandez requested a Bristol County probate judge have him removed as trustee. She claimed that he was potentially forcing her to give up her favorite extracurricular activity. Jenkins-Hernandez also denies improperly spending money and funds from the trust fund should be available for her when she needs them.
Her attorney, Stephen Withers, said that the accusation was “much ado about nothing. What Shayanna has done is focus on her children … Any allegation or insinuation that she’s spending money inappropriately or for any other purpose is absolutely false.”