woman faked cancer for 6 years for monetary purposes. faces prison and fines

[Demovictory9]

A 36-year-old San Jose resident pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud for soliciting donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she did not need nor received.

Amanda Christine Riley admitted to purposely deceiving people into thinking she had Hodgkin's lymphona in order to receive monetary donations from 2013 to 2019.

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When people donated to her fundraising page, the funds would go to Riley's bank account, not for cancer treatment. Riley said she received $106,272 in donations from her fake illness.

Riley's sentencing is scheduled for February 22, 2022. She faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Woman-Pleads-Guilty-To-Cancer-Fundraiser-Fraud-16528864.php


In approximately October 2012, Riley began documenting her purported illness on social media, including on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. She also created a blog located at http://lymphomacansuckitblogspot.com/. On these social media platforms, she posted photos of medications, photos of herself at hospitals, and photos of herself allegedly suffering the side effects of chemotherapy. Riley added captions to the photos with false statements claiming that she was taking cancer drugs and receiving cancer treatment. She even shaved her head to make it appear as if she had lost her hair as a result of chemotherapy.

Riley admitted taking additional steps to raise money for her phony illness. For example, Riley’s blog included a link to a support page, http://www.supportamanda.com, which also included false information about Riley’s purported “battle with cancer.” The support page featured a clickable “donate now” icon for visitors to donate money online, and encouraged visitors to donate money to “support Amanda” and help “Amanda’s battle with cancer.” In addition, Riley organized several fundraisers, including in-person fundraisers at the Family Community Church in San Jose, to solicit donations and raise money for her supposed cancer-related expenses.

In reality, Riley did not have – and has never had – Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or any other type of cancer. When people donated to Riley over the internet or at in-person fundraisers, they believed their donations would be used to pay Riley’s cancer-related expenses. In fact, Riley had no cancer-related expenses, and donors’ funds were simply deposited into Riley’s personal bank account. In total, Riley admitted she received over four-hundred donations worth approximately $106,272 from her fake cancer fundraising scheme.


https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/bay-area-woman-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-soliciting-donations-bogus-cancer-treatment

[LeftInTX]

1. I get the impression that alot of stuff like this goes on.

People get suckered in and "feel sorry" for the person. Sometimes they do it with animals too. "My dog has cancer"....

[hunter]

19. Was there a trustworthy autopsy on Rush Limbaugh?

[marble falls]

2. I'm fighting cancer since 2012. I have seen other patients struggle with the whole mishmagas ...

... with no help from anyone and die. What I think about this person is alertable.

I donated to another person who claimed one of the cancers I have (hopefully had) and sent a note and a donation, and then found out I was had.

Some of this is there's someone with an angle no matter what, but a huge part of it the mess that health care is in this country. ACA was a substantial help, but not near enough. If we had a good system, people wouldn't be forced to beg for their lives and the fakers wouldn't be able to blend in.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

4. +1000 (nt)

[Demovictory9]

5. yes, if we had a good system, we would know all cancer victims have access to good care

[calimary]

24. This.

Faking it for money. I thought whores-for-hire did that.

Oh wait….

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. There's really not that many things more evil that this if you think about the social impact ...

How many legitimate sufferers will not receive donations now because of this person?

Honestly it kinda feels like we shouldn't talk about it publicly.

Just leave this scummy person to go to jail in anonymity.

[walkingman]

12. As others have said, I think if we would join the rest of the developed

world with a decent healthcare system these issues would never happen.

However, I also think this "Go Fund Me" thing is ripe for abuse and I never participate unless I know the individual. I've seen countless people do it in cases where they have insurance (medical and homeowners) just to scam the empathetic public.

This damn inequality is nothing more than modern day slavery and it seems that people vote against their own interests....again and again.

Thoughts and Prayers.

[LeftInTX]

20. I don't donate unless I personally know the person...heck and usually then it is a nickle and dime

Even with people you know and "trust", it's too easy to get "sucked in" to something over your head.

[RandomNumbers]

22. One of those things is for-profit healthcare in the first place.

Our broken health care system that means those legitimate sufferers have to go begging for donations.

Meanwhile some people make a pretty nice income running "charitable foundations" that purport to cure one illness or another.

It's quite evilly absurd.

[RockCreek]

6. I am a genuine survivor

Of Hodgkins Lymphoma - stage 4. I had and underwent treatment for this cancer almost 30 years ago.
This infuriates me on so many levels.
I don't even know what to write, I have so many threads of anger and frustration rushing through my mind.

[Demovictory9]

7. ..

[unblock]

8. Unsurprising that this crap happens after the media installed a con man in the Oval Office

Donnie was obviously a massive liar and con man but the media printed him relentlessly and pretended like Hillary somehow compared unfavorably to him.

They let him get away with con after con. The inaugural fund? The hotel Billings? Any pile of money, odds are he skimmed something into his pockets somehow.


So yeah, someone raising $100k for a fiction, infuriating.

But let's not forget the king of cons, who siphoned off far more money from far more people.

[jimfields33]

9. Although true, her scam was in October 2012.

[unblock]

10. Didn't mean to suggest a direct causal relationship

More of a common cause -- the media tolerating and cheerleading Republican lies and frauds for decades.

[jimfields33]

14. Definitely true. Big time perfect reply

[Comfortably_Numb]

11. Finally, a fine that is larger than the amount she stole. Unlike bankers who steal billions and

pay a paltry fine, which they then write off..

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. she might be on GoFundMe for the fine...ya never know. n/t

[Turbineguy]

13. $106 grand

and six years. Crime doesn't pay very well.

[soldierant]

23. Yes, she sold out cheap.

$17,712 a year, I make it. Depending on how far she carried it into 2019, maybe a bit less. Couldn't live on that during those years.

[lambchopp59]

15. Why in the world would someone undertake such a labor intensive scam when

All one has to do is apply for a religious tax exemption, claim some messaging from a sky spook such as "God" or "Allah", produce a few emotionally charged vids on how fervently you love your sky spook, tell your marks you can put in a good word with your sky spook to heal all your ills on their behalf for a suggested donation of ten dollars or more, of course more means more to the invisible entity, so be generous...
and voila-- profits, legal, tax exempt and total proof that a fool and his/her money are soon parted.
Sometimes methinks my own working my ass off for an honest living is also foolish.

[Drunken Irishman]

18. eh the grift is real but not everyone is able to do it.

These preachers and pastors who make bank and build sizable churches to collect all their money on are still an exception. I know it's easy to mock these people but it takes a level of a charisma to get the easily fooled to buy into it.

There's way more of these preachers who don't make a lick and yet still peddle bullshit.

[LeftInTX]

21. I agree with what Drunken Irishman said

Usually these televangelists had parents who did the same thing.
They grew up like that....

[Drunken Irishman]

17. My brother died from leukemia and I lost my mom last Christmas to pancreatic cancer.

I really, really hate reading this. Cancer is devastating. I hate cancer. I don't know how anyone could fake such an awful thing.

[calimary]

25. No kidding!

My friend, one doesn’t have to have fought cancer to be absolutely INFURIATED, reading this.

I think one of those ”special places in Hell” could fit in here, and well-deserved!!!