A Queens woman stole thousands of dollars from her disabled preteen daughter’s malpractice lawsuit settlement, spending it on her own plastic surgery, prosecutors said Thursday.
Megan Mele, 31, of Woodhaven, Queens, was charged with grand larceny for pocketing more than $65,000 from her 11-year-old daughter’s settlement.
“Instead of safeguarding the money for her daughter’s future needs, the defendant is alleged to have thought only of herself,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
“She allegedly used the child’s bank account as if it were her personal piggy bank — dipping in for money to…splurge on plastic surgery for herself.”
Mele’s daughter was born with nerve damage. As part of a settlement, an account with more than $50,000 was set up in 2007, and she was to receive payments starting on her 18th birthday in 2022.