SAN JOSE, Calif.(KNX) – On Tuesday, a woman from Northern California was sentenced to five years in prison for soliciting over $100,000 in donations to help her pay for cancer treatments when she didn’t have cancer.
From 2012 to 2019, Amanda Christine Riley told people she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and created a social media presence to chronicle her journey, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.
“Information provided at the sentencing hearing showed that Riley went to great lengths to maintain her deception,” federal officials said.
“(Riley) 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). “
Officials also said the donations, which were supposed to cover medical expenses, actually went into “her personal bank accounts and (were) used to pay her living expenses.”
Riley collected a total of $105,513 in donations from almost 350 people and organizations.
In October, Riley plead guilty to wire fraud.
In addition to her prison sentence, Riley will pay $105,513 in restitution and will also have a three year period of supervision.
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