TikToker Madison Russo was fined $39,000 but avoided jail time for a fake cancer scam 2023

TikToker Madison Russo was fined $39,000 but avoided jail after an elaborate scam in which she pretended to have cancer to get money from viewers.

Back in February 2023, Madison Russo was arrested and charged with first-degree theft after allegedly scamming $37,000 in donations from viewers on TikTok.

To do so, she told users that she had stage 2 pancreatic cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She used GoFundMe to donate.

Russo was convicted on October 20, 2023 and fined $39,000 – but avoided prison.

TikToker faked cancer to scam donations fined 39 thousand dollars

WQAD News 8 uploaded the judge’s entire verdict to their YouTube channel just one day after the trial ended for everyone to see.

In the video, Scott County Circuit Judge John Telleen details that Madison Russo admitted to using other patients’ stories as her own, criticizing her for engaging in a “protracted process of deception.” .

“Through this scheme, you deceived your friends, family, community, other cancer victims, charities and strangers who were motivated to because of your supposedly tragic story to donate to help support you.”

Madison Russo also commented during the sentencing, explaining why she decided to commit this year-long fraud in the first place.

“A lot of people have speculated why I did this and how someone who looked like they had everything together could cause such chaos,” she said. “I don’t do this for money or greed. I don’t do this to get attention. I do this as an effort to help my family get back together.”

“I fully admit what I did was wrong. And I am deeply sorry,” Russo added. “If there’s anything I can do to get it back, I will. The truth is I can’t.”

The TikToker’s sentence included 100 hours of community service and her $39,000 fine was paid.

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Categories: Entertainment
Source: Tekmonk Bio