Georgia police arrested an area woman after claiming that she preyed on the generosity of others in order to gather donations for herself. Her criminal charges consist of one felony and one misdemeanor charge, although authorities have mentioned the possibility of the misdemeanor later being elevated to a felony. Whether that actually happens will not be clear until the investigation is completed.
Investigators are still not entirely sure when the 29-year-old nurse first disclosed her ovarian cancer diagnosis, but they believe that she received donations related to her diagnosis for at least two years. Police were alerted to the possibility that the woman might actually be cancer free when a caller left an anonymous complaint about the nurse’s motivations. From there an investigation was launched into the woman’s medical history and the donations that she subsequently received.
Ultimately, police came to the conclusion that the nurse did not have cancer and further speculated that she might have never been diagnosed in the first place. Documents from an oncologist that she presented as evidence of her illness were found to possibly be fraudulent, and she was also accused of shaving her head in order to look the part of a cancer patient. She was later arrested on charges of theft and felony forgery.
She is believed to have accumulated somewhere around $25,000 worth of donations, although not all in cash. Aside from monetary gifts, donations included tickets to sports games and trips. Since at least one of her criminal charges is a felony, she could potentially face some lengthy time behind bars if convicted. Because of this, most Georgia defendants facing felony charges choose to begin defense preparations early on in the criminal court process. This typically allows for a thorough review of all charges alongside defense counsel, who can help in formulating a solid defense foundation focused on garnering the best possible result.
Source: ABC News, “Woman Arrested for Allegedly Faking Cancer to Raise Funds“, Gillian Mohney, Jan. 26, 2016