“I have a tumor the size of a soccer ball in my lower back that wraps around my spine. I have five years left to live », he said in his video appeals. She said she had been diagnosed with cancer advanced pancreatic cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
And it showed itself among the medical equipment of thehospital where he was treated. And as support for those treatments, he had raised $37,000 from online donations. Too bad that this was not the room of a hospital, but his home artfully dressed up to carry out his scam. None disease, no tumor. Discovered, she was arrested.
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Fake cancer to raise funds, arrested
The protagonist of the scam is a 19 year old, Madison Marie Russo, of Bettendorf, Iowa. It was some doctors who unmasked her. She reported her to the police after carefully viewing the videos she was uploading TikTok, pretending to undergo chemotherapy. Too many “out of tune” details. Even dangerous, as professionals claimed that the “staged” photos of her with medical equipment placed on her body had “terrible inaccuracies even dangerous to health, if not life”.
The staging
The girl had turned her apartment into a fake hospital. The police found several pieces of evidence, including an IV pole with a feed pump that he had filled with cotton balls. The 19-year-old had also stolen photos of cancer patients posted on social media and shared them as her own. In the videos, she said doctors gave her five years to live after her alleged diagnosis in February 2022.
DONATIONS
His story moved the sensibilities of many. Donations came from 493 public and private entities, including corporations, national and local cancer foundations, school districts, universities and citizens. She had even been interviewed by a local newspaper about her battle with cancer and has appeared as a guest at real-life events to talk about her health. But the police – who hunted her after the complaint from the doctors – discovered that she actually lived peacefully: she even had a part-time job and played golf serenely.
THE CONDITIONS
Medical records taken from Genesis, Trinity, and Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City showed that although Russo was a patient of theirs, she was never treated for cancers or tumors. Her home was searched: the police confiscated her car, a bag with medical supplies, bank documents, an IV pole with a feed pump filled with cotton balls, a disguise wig, and nausea pills. .
THE ACCUSATIONS
Russo was arrested and charged with first-degree theft as the investigation into her suspected fraud continues. If she is found guilty she risks up to 10 years in prison. She was released from the Scott County Jail after she posted $10,000 cash bail and is awaiting a trial appearance. She will be arraigned on March 2. Using a GoFundMe account, she raised approximately $37,000 in donations.