COLUMBIANA, Ala. (AP) – Authorities say an Alabama woman is charged with stealing at least $38,000 by portraying herself as a terminal cancer patient in a pair of online fundraising schemes.
A statement from the state attorney general’s office says 37-year-old Jennifer Flynn Cataldo of Sterrett is charged with two counts of theft by deception. She was jailed Friday with bond set at $100,000.
Court records aren’t yet available to show whether Cataldo has a lawyer to speak on her behalf.
Cataldo is accused of using two GoFundMe drives to solicit money for medical bills and a family trip to Disney.
While the campaigns portrayed Cataldo as someone with a terminal case of cancer, authorities say an investigation showed that wasn’t true. They say Cataldo acted alone.