Beauty queen who faked cancer pleads not guilty

yinka ogunlami

December 31, 2015 8:59 AM

Brandi, Ex-Miss Pennsylvania International US, has been arrested for reportedly shaving her hair and conning her family to believe she was battling with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in March 2013.

Beauty queen who faked cancer pleads not guilty to scam

Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, 23, Ex-Miss Pennsylvania International US, has been arrested for reportedly shaving her hair and conning her family to believe she was battling with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in March 2013.

Brandi was accused of pocketing cash from fundraisers organised by her loved ones to pay for her fake treatment, the last of which raised $14,000 (£8,948).

Following her arrest she has been stripped of her title, is being charged with felony counts of theft by deception and receiving stolen property, and is held on a $150,000 bail at the Centre County Corrections Facility.

She made friends and family drive her to hospital appointments, leaving them to wait for close to eight hours for her while she went elsewhere and also posted images on Facebook showing her wearing bandages and surgical masks and with a shaved head.

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She even gave extensive newspaper interviews about her cancer and even posted less than three weeks ago about being in remission.

This fraud was only exposed after the police received an anonymous saying she Brandi didn't know the name of any of her doctors.

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Thomas stock, state police Trooper contacted the hospitals at which Brandi said she was treated go cancer but the hospital has no record of her anywhere. Stock said she had made people believe she had cancer and it was an elaborate scheme.

"When you deceive the public and take people's money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions," said a statement from the pageant organisers Butler's Beauties .

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