XPost: alt.fan.states.iowa, alt.fraud, alt.politics.democrats
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns, sac.politics
In article <uh8q63$1upi$
1@dont-email.me>
An Iowa woman who falsely claimed to have cancer and documented her
"battle" on social media will stay out of prison after a judge gave
her probation and a suspended sentence, per the AP. Madison Russo,
20, never had pancreatic cancer, leukemia, or the football-sized
tumor wrapped around her spine that she claimed in postings on
TikTok, GoFundMe, Facebook, and LinkedIn. But over 400 people sent
her donations. As part of the 10-year suspended sentence handed down
last week, she was ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution and a
$1,370 fine. If she stays out of trouble for three years of
probation, she'll stay free.
"I'm incredibly sorry," said the Bettendorf woman, who pleaded
guilty in June to first-degree theft. In court on Friday, Judge John
Telleen declined a defense request that would have wiped the
conviction off her record if she completes probation successfully.
He said people who deal with her in the future should know that she
once engaged in a "criminal scheme," and that "serious crimes must
have serious consequences." Russo told the court she made her story
up because she hoped her fake cancer battle would force her troubled
family to focus on her.
"A lot of people have made speculation as to why I did this and how
somebody who looked like they had everything together could have
such a mess," she said. "I didn't do this for money or greed. I
didn't do this for attention. I did this as an attempt to get my
family back together." Her sentence also includes 100 hours of
community service. She paid the $39,000 restitution earlier, and the
money was being held by the court. GoFundMe has already sent refunds
to donors. Her scam unraveled when medical professionals spotted
discrepancies in her story online. Police subpoenaed her medical
records and found she had never been diagnosed with cancer at any
medical facility in the area. She was arrested in January.
https://www.newser.com/story/341741/woman-who-faked-cancer-i-didnt- do-this-for-money.html
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)