Pennsylvania woman accused of property crimes in alleged cancer scam

Doubters made themselves known almost as soon as the woman who lives about an hour east of Lancaster began telling her story. Doubters were in social media, among those who read and heard her account in news reports and even the 31-year-old Pennsylvania powerlifter’s husband apparently had some doubts about her story of battling cancer.

According to a recent news article, doubters brought their misgivings to law enforcement, who recently arrested the woman who raised more than $10,000 for her cancer fight on charges of receiving stolen property and theft by deception.

“She made people believe she had a very serious cancer diagnosis. The fact is she didn’t have cancer,” said Chester County’s first assistant district attorney. “She took advantage of people’s generosity, and everyone’s worst fear of a cancer diagnosis.”

Before her arrest, the woman had told her dramatic stories of battling a number of serious health problems – double hip replacement, a cancer-related hysterectomy and a rare heart ailment – before her most recent claim that she has a rare form of hereditary colon cancer.

After that claimed diagnosis, she reportedly set up online fundraisers to help with “tremendous medical bills.”

She came up with several marketing tools and phrases, the Washington Post noted in a report, including #FightLikeAJessica and $25 t-shirts emblazoned with “Crush Kilos and Cancer.”

But doubters included her husband, who eventually went to police in Uwchlan Township, about an hour east of Lancaster, telling them that as far as he knew, his wife did not have cancer.

When law enforcement officials contacted her health care providers, none provided evidence to back her claims, the Post reported.

Her first court hearing is scheduled for next week. It is not known if she has a criminal defense attorney.