Featured Image Credit: Newsnation Now
Topics: Crime, Money, Health, True crime
Emily Brown
A California woman was sentenced to years behind bars after she convinced hundreds of people she had cancer and scammed them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Amanda Christine Riley, a former school principal, began her shocking scheme in 2012 when she started a blog titled 'Lymphoma Can Suck It', and started posting about her alleged cancer diagnosis on social media.
She described being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in her late 20s, and used the blog to keep followers updated as she claimed to fight the aggressive form of cancer.
She shared posts about being in hospital, taking medication and the side effects she claimed to be experiencing, and her efforts prompted sympathy not only from those who knew her, but also from strangers and celebrities.
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The US Attorney's Office said Riley used her presence online to ''document' her alleged medical condition, and to aggressively solicit donations, supposedly to cover her medical expenses'.
What her supporters didn't know, however, was that Riley had never been diagnosed with cancer.
Through her scheme, Riley convinced people to donate money to help cover the cost of her non-existent treatments and to fund adventures and travels that she claimed she wanted to experience before she died of the disease.
In total, she raised $105,513 (£82,700) through 349 donations from individuals and entities.
However, the US Attorney's Office explained: "In truth, Riley had no medical expenses. The donations she received were deposited into her personal bank accounts and used to pay her living expenses."
Riley's lies and fundraising efforts continued for years, until in 2019 investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello received an anonymous tip that she should look into the blogger.
Moscatiello obliged, but Riley became defensive and attempted to sue the investigator for civil harassment in a case which was ultimately thrown out.
Moscatiello examined photos on Riley's blog, called hospitals and clinics and gathered evidence before taking her findings to financial crimes detective Jose Martinez.
The case was eventually passed on to the IRS, and Riley was charged in relation to financial crimes associated with 'a scheme to solicit donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she never needed nor received'.
During the trial, it was revealed that Riley had shaved her head to make it appear as if she was undergoing chemotherapy, as well as falsifying medical records and forging physicians' documents.
In October 2021, Riley pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. The following year, she was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $105,513 and sentenced to five years in prison.
Riley's crimes are now the subject of the hit new podcast Scamanda, from Charlie Webster, which looks into the scam
with the help of people who were tricked by Riley, as well as journalists and law enforcement who worked the case.