An Iowa woman, Madison Russo, who falsely claimed to have cancer on social media platforms, has been given probation and a suspended sentence.
Russo had taken to popular platforms like TikTok, GoFundMe, Facebook, and LinkedIn to share her fabricated story of battling pancreatic cancer, leukemia, and a football-sized tumor wrapped around her spine.
Her posts garnered sympathy from over 400 people who sent her donations.
Russo was handed a 10-year suspended sentence by the judge. As part of her sentence, she has been ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution and a $1,370 fine. If she manages to stay out of trouble during her three years of probation, she will remain free.
Russo pleaded guilty in June to first-degree theft.
In court, Russo confessed that she had concocted the story in hopes that her troubled family would pay more attention to her.
In addition to the financial penalties, her sentence also includes 100 hours of community service. The $39,000 restitution has already been paid by Russo and is being held by the court. GoFundMe has initiated refunds to the donors.
Russo’s scam was exposed when medical professionals noticed inconsistencies in her online story.