An Iowa woman who scammed friends and strangers with her fake battle against cancer on social media will spend no time in prison after a judge gave her probation and a suspended sentence.
Madison Russo, 20, pleaded guilty to first degree theft in June for accepting more than $37,000 from 439 donors se reached on TikTok, GoFundMe, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as CrimeOnline reported.
In court on Friday, Judge John Telleen rejected a defense request to have the conviction wiped off Russo’s record if she stays out of trouble for three years on probation, The Associated Press said. Telleen said that people who deal with her in the future should know that she once engaged in a “criminal scheme” and that she needs to understand that “serious crimes have serious consequences.”
“Through this scheme, you deceived your friends, your family, your community, other cancer victims, charities and strangers who were motivated by your supposedly tragic story to donate to help support you,” he said.
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Russo said in court that she made up the entire story “as an attempt to get my family back together.”
Telleen suspended the 10 year sentence and ordered her to pay a $1,370 fine. She already paid $39,000 in restitution.
Russo was arrested in January when medical professionals noticed discrepancies in her story. When police subpoenaed her medical records, they found no cancer diagnosis.
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