Venezuelan pitching phenom Felix Hernandez, of the Seattle Mariners, struck a chord with baseball fans across the continent. Even with 100 mph fastballs, Felix is perhaps best remembered as one half of the happiest celebrity couple in sports history. On March 14, 2008, Felix and his wife Sandra exchanged vows in a joyous ceremony. The couple now share two children: Jeremy and Mia.
The family has faced moments of strife as well. Sandra was a victim of financial crime when she was allegedly scammed by Carlos Peguero’s wife Maria Jacqueline Peguero. The Peguero’s had allegedly made numerous unauthorized debit card purchases using Sandra’s card information. Despite this roadblock, the Hernandez family is determined to stay the course and provide a prosperous and joyful life for their children.
From June 26th to October 9th, 2012, Maria Peguero allegedly carried out an astonishing spree of fraudulent purchases totaling an eye-watering $180,000 from Saks Fifth Avenue.
It is believed that Peguero took advantage of the victim’s imperfect English to gain access to her credit cards while visiting the home of Sandra Hernandez.
Investigators linked the charges to an email address connected to Peguero’s Twitter account, resulting in more than 60 transactions being found through a search warrant. These ranged from small amounts to exorbitant sums such as $11,000.
The U.S. Secret Service moved quickly to make an arrest and charged Maria Peguero with three counts of wire fraud. Initially pleading not guilty, she eventually changed her plea and was sentenced in Tacoma federal court.