Florida Woman Arrested For Faking Breast Cancer to Collect Funds

A Florida woman is under arrest and charged with fraud after claiming she had breast cancer and collected thousands of dollars from fundraising. 

Kelly Johanneson, 36, of Citrus County, Florida being held without bond on charges of organized fraud.

Johanneson vanished for a month back in 2013. When she returned home, she told friends and family she had stage IV breast cancer and had been getting cancer treatment at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.

The mother of two made up the diagnosis in order to prey on family and friends for financial donations, according to ABC. The community rallied around her, holding fundraisers such as a barbeque and airboat event.

Johanneson collected $4,400 from a GoFundMe page that friends and family had set up for her, on top of all the other funds collected from events held in her honor, as reported by CBS 12.

The exact amount of funds she collected is unknown at this time.

Police received a tip in September that Johanneson really didn't have cancer and was putting on an elaborate hoax, which included shaving her head.

When she was questioned by police, she showed them paperwork from the treatment center, but the institute said she was never a patient at their facility.

The case was brought to the State Attorney’s Office, and a warrant for Johanneson’s arrest was issued. She is now facing charges of organized fraud, which is a third-degree felony.