Experts Questioning Equipment Attachment Location Exposed
Cancer Foundations, Public Institutions, and Schools Join Donations
A woman in the United States was arrested by the police for embezzling donations while pretending to be a cancer patient. It is known that she decorated her room like a hospital room and illegally used photos of other cancer patients to deceive people.
According to Fox News and the New York Post on the 1st (local time), U.S. police arrested Madison Marie Russo (19), who lives in Bettendorf, Iowa, on the 23rd of last month on embezzlement charges. Russo is accused of raising donations by falsely claiming she was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer and then attempting to embezzle the funds.
Russo posted fake cancer treatment diaries on TikTok and the online fundraising site 'GoFundMe' to collect donations.
She claimed to have been diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in February last year and revealed photos wearing various medical devices, saying she had a tumor the size of a soccer ball on her body. The photos showed Russo receiving an IV drip with a tube attached to her nose. Russo also gave interviews to local media, claiming to reporters that she had undergone 15 rounds of chemotherapy and 90 rounds of radiation therapy from February to October.
About 440 people were deceived by Russo's lies, and the donations they gave her are reported to have approached $37,000 (about 45 million KRW). In addition to individuals, cancer-related foundations, public institutions, and schools were also found to have donated to Russo.
Russo's crime was uncovered by some medical experts who questioned the placement of the medical devices. Russo was using the medical equipment in inappropriate locations. Based on their medical opinions, the experts requested an investigation by the police.
As a result, it was revealed that Russo had never received treatment for cancer or tumors. The photos Russo posted in her cancer treatment diary were those of other cancer patients. Some were taken after remodeling a room to look like a hospital room.
Upon learning this, GoFundMe stated, "We have a zero-tolerance policy for criminals" and "We are cooperating with authorities' investigation of Russo." They also said, "Russo's fundraising page has been deleted, and all donations have been fully refunded to donors. Russo's GoFundMe account has been permanently suspended."
Russo was released after posting a $10,000 (about 12 million KRW) bail. The trial is scheduled for March 2.
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