Too bad they don't have a "prison jumpsuit" competition in beauty contests. Heather "Hedy" Di Carlo would most certainly win.
The former New Jersey beauty pageant winner has been sentenced to a year in jail for bouncing more than $70,000 in bad checks over a two-month period to purchase antique furniture – tables, chairs, couches and more from a shop in Rockland County.
Di Carlo, 36, also was given five years' probation Friday in state Superior Court in Newark. She won the Mrs. New Jersey crown in 2005.
Di Carlo pleaded guilty in January to theft by deception and writing bad checks. Her attorney says she fell into debt after a divorce.
Paul Bergrin says Di Carlo will probably serve about 60 days of her sentence.
Di Carlo is no stranger to law enforcement officials. The judge cited her previous arrests for theft dating back to 1999 and called her "a master of deception.''
Soon after she won the 2005 title, Di Carlo told The Star-Ledger that she was initially reluctant to enter the contest, but did it to attract attention to her nonprofit Share Your Hobby, Share Your Heart program. The program empowers hospitalized kids by helping them address their fears through scrap-booking their experiences.
