A 19-year-old TikToker was charged with a class C felony of theft by means of deception after she collected donations online under the guise that she was fighting cancer, which turned out to be a lie.
The Eldridge Police Department arrested Madison Russo on January 23 while she was in class at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.
According to Indy 100, authorities said Russo scammed roughly 439 donors and accumulated over $38,000 in contributions.
A press release said Russo made a series of false claims, including one where she said she "suffered acute lymphoblastic leukemia, stage 2 pancreatic cancer and a tumor the size of a football" attached to her spine.
Obtained medical records as part of an investigation revealed Russo has never been diagnosed with any cancer or tumor by any medical facilities in the area.
The news outlet noted a GoFundMe page was allegedly set up for her which caught the attention of the local newspaper which shared her story.
\u201cMaddie Russo allegedly scammed donors out of nearly $38,000 dollars after supposedly being diagnosed with cancer. Here's the full sequence of events. https://t.co/cN3EFsRJCZ\u201d— WQAD (@WQAD) 1674644407
Here is Russo responding to a question about the healthy appearance of her hair, which she chalked up to taking oral chemotherapy.
\u201cTikTok scammer Maddie Russo explains why her unique cancer treatment and why she hasn\u2019t had any hairloss \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Def Noodles (@Def Noodles) 1675191291
The press release continued stating Russo was a guest speaker at the National Pancreas Foundation in Chicago and at St. Ambrose University.
She was also featured on a podcast for Project Purple–a Connecticut-based non-profit organization aiming to spread awareness of and raise funds to defeat pancreatic cancer.
Social media users were dumbfounded.
@scrubhacks Part 1. Lying about cancer 🫠 #maddierusso #maddierussofakecancer #lyingaboutcancer #nurse #chemonurse #chemonursesrock #nurselife #nursestory #munchausen
People from the cancer community were understandably outraged.
\u201cMaddie Russo is a disgusting human. Faking cancer for internet clout.\n\nPeople faking cancer and making money off it makes me angry and sick. Taking advantage of people\u2019s good hearts, making a mockery of something that took my sister\u2019s life. You deserve prison.\u201d— Samantha Flynn (@Samantha Flynn) 1674646296
\u201cOmg that Maddie Russo faking cancer makes my blood boil. Right off the bat seeing what Omar had to go through and all the stuff he had to get done, you can tell it was all fake. I hope she gets serious jail time\u201d— Kareeen (@Kareeen) 1674626033
\u201cthis whole Maddie Russo fake cancer thing.she can burn. \nWould be nice if my 16 y/o cousin was able to see The Rock for MAWF after chemo & radiation, get her license to drive, graduate high school, but Ewing's Sarcoma took her before she could've fully enjoyed life\u201d— \u2661aly \u27a1\ufe0f FFXV hell (@\u2661aly \u27a1\ufe0f FFXV hell) 1675074950
\u201cCancer sucks so bad that I wouldn\u2019t wish it on anyone\u2026 and yet\u2026 here I am, thinking about crossing my own ethical boundaries because of THIS B #maddierusso https://t.co/TSMaQgVaYL\u201d— J Miso (@J Miso) 1675056669
Chief of Police Joseph Sisler issued a statement detailing Russo's deception, which read:
"It was discovered through investigation, that separate and apart from the medical discrepancies, and from the GoFundMe page, Madison accepted private donations from other businesses, non-profit organizations, school districts and private citizens."
Those who have "who have medical experience" were enlisted to work with an investigator looking for "medical discrepancies" in Russo's photos posted on social media.
ABC News medical contributor Dr. Darien Sutton shared their findings after observing select photos.
"You can see that the actual positioning of the port per se, is not accurate," said Sutton.
"Also, the way that it's secured, the type of tape that's used, it's not the same clinical tape that we would use in the hospital."
Documents obtained by KWQC suggested Russo used various props to perpetuate her hoax.
Investigators allegedly found a brown paper bag with medical supplies, an "IV pole with a feeding pump filled with cotton balls," a wig, nausea pills prescribed under a relative’s name, and other items at Russo’s apartment.
\u201cIf she hadn\u2019t been uncovered as a fraud, I\u2019m sure Madison Russo would\u2019ve gone full send and shaved her head in the next few weeks. Narcissists will go to any lengths to get the attention they\u2019re addicted to, but to fake cancer for so long is another level of evil #MaddieRusso\u201d— Liz Scott (@Liz Scott) 1675004035
The National Pancreas Foundation weighed in on the ongoing investigation with a statement shared with ABC News.
CEO David Bakelman denounced the young scammer, writing:
"The National Pancreas Foundation does not condone the actions of Maddie Russo regarding her deceit to fraudulently secure donors for her false cancer diagnosis."
"There are thousands of patients, families and caregivers battling this terrible disease, and Ms. Russo's actions have taken away valuable resources from these patients."
In response to Russo's arrest, GoFundMe–who stated they have a "zero tolerance policy for misuse"–announced:
"All donors have been refunded and we have removed this fundraiser. The beneficiary has also been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers."
"GoFundMe's Giving Guarantee offers a full refund in the rare case when something isn't right; this is the first and only donor protection guarantee in the crowdfunding industry."
Louis Frillman, who fell for Russo's con by donating $500 to her fake cause, expressed empathy for the troubled teen.
After the donation site refunded him his money, Frillman told ABC News:
"My thinking is, say a prayer for this young kid because she is going to have a lot of terrible consequences."
Russo posted a $10,000 bond and is scheduled in court on March 2 for her arraignment.
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