Cancer?

June 25th, 2022| Topic: RaMbLeS | 0

Reported the Department of Justice (DOJ), recently, with a San Jose byline:

Amanda Christine Riley was sentenced in federal court today to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to solicit donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she never needed nor received, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Beth Labson Freeman, United States District Judge for the Northern District of California.”

Apparently this California woman who pretended to have cancer received more than $100,000 in charitable donations from hundreds of people, through various social media sites. In total, the government identified 349 individuals and entities who made contributions totaling $105,513. The scam began in 2012, when Riley falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a blog to document her imaginary condition and “aggressively” solicit donations to cover her supposed medical expenses, the DOJ said. 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.

Information provided at the sentencing hearing showed that Riley went to great lengths to maintain her deception: she shaved her head to make it appear as if she were receiving chemotherapy; she falsified medical records; she forged physicians’ letters and medical certifications; she convinced family members to echo her false claims; she gave materially false testimony in several legal proceedings; and she attacked anyone who suggested she was malingering (going so far as to sue one of them). Riley’s scheme continued from 2012 until 2019, when it was uncovered by an investigation of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and the San Jose Police Department. Riley was charged by criminal complaint in July 2020 and pleaded guilty to an information charging one count of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 on October 12, 2021.”

In addition to the 5 years in prison, the felon must pay back the $105,513 and undergo 3 years of supervision after her release.

Riley is hardly the first person to fake a cancer diagnosis for money—a new take on entrepreneurship! In fact, it has happened so often, researchers have given it a label: “Munchausen by internet” or MBI.

It’s a form of the mental disorder known as Munchausen syndrome, in which people feign illness or actually make themselves sick for sympathy and attention. People with the condition are often motivated to lie by a need to control the reactions of others, particularly if they feel out of control in their own lives.

Blessed is the one who considers the insignificant;
on the day of evil Yahweh liberates him.
Yahweh keeps him and preserves him alive,
and he is called blessed in the land.
And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
Yahweh sustains him upon his couch of illness;
all his bed You transform in his illness.
Psalm 41:1–3

In other words, care for the weak = blessedness of the “carer,” that includes freedom from evil, longevity, fruitfulness, protection from enemies, and healing. All of that comes with integrity, a walk with God, on his ways, in his world, by his word:

And I—in my integrity You uphold me,
and You stand me in Your presence forever.
Blessed is Yahweh, God of Israel,
From forever and always to forever! Amen and amen!
Psalm 41:12–13

SOURCE:
DOJ; MedScape; The Atlantic