A Pennsylvania woman is accused of soliciting money from people online to help her cope with a cancer condition that did not exist, authorities said.
Jessica Ann Smith, 31, of Chester Springs was charged with theft by deception, WPVI reported. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance.
Authorities said Smith used her maiden name -- Cornell -- and created GoFundMe and Facebook pages to collect funds to help defray costs of a severe case of colon cancer, according to WPVI.
On Tuesday, authorities in Delaware confirmed Smith has identity theft and criminal impersonation of a law enforcement officer charges pending against her, according to Wilmington police, the television station reported.
Smith, who is a powerlifter, wrote she was "facing tremendous medical bills, travel costs, paying for the care of her children and missed work," WPVI reported. People donated more than $10,000 to her cause, authorities said.
"She made people believe that she had a very serious cancer diagnosis. The fact is she didn't have it. She lied about that," acting Chester County District Attorney Mike Noone told the television station.
When some people online began to express skepticism about Smith's condition, she defended herself in a podcast that aired in August, The Washington Post reported. "If anyone straight up came up to me and said, 'I think you're faking this,' I literally would say, 'OK, you're coming to chemo with me on Monday,'" Smith said on the The Ever Evolving Truth podcast in August. "The nurses would love it."
In March, Smith told the Philly Voice she had overcome a double hip replacement, a rare heart condition and a cancer-related hysterectomy.
An affidavit of probable cause from Monday's arrest shows Smith's doctor said the woman "was not suffering from any condition that she was currently claiming to be afflicted by."
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