California Woman Sentenced to Jail for Wedding Injury Scam

LOS ANGELES — A Southern California woman who tried to bilk the wedding-planning website The Knot out of $20,000 by claiming she had to cancel her reception after tripping on her wedding dress has been sentenced to five years in jail, authorities said Monday.

Vermyttya Miller of Santa Clarita used The Knot website to book a 2016 wedding reception in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Miller then filed a claim with the business, saying she had severely hurt herself after tripping on her wedding dress. The Knot has a $10,000 event cancellation or postponement insurance policy, authorities said.

Miller provided medical reports to document her supposed injuries and The Knot cut her a check, officials said.

But about two months later, Miller emailed The Knot’s insurer to report that the check had been stolen, and supplied a Vallejo Police Department crime report.

The suspicious insurer referred the claim to the state, which investigated.

“Evidence revealed Miller actually doctored a previously submitted police report for a different incident that occurred years earlier,” a state insurance department statement said.

Investigators also found that Miller had falsified the medical reports of her supposed injury, the agency said.

Miller pleaded no contest to insurance fraud and was sentenced last week. In addition to repaying the $10,000, Miller was ordered to pay an additional $12,500 for investigative costs, authorities said.

Inmate records indicated that Miller is 38, KTLA-TV reported.