A BEAUTY QUEEN who faked cancer to raise money has been arrested by police in America.
Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, Miss Pennsylvania US International, lead people to believe she had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in March 2013.
According to CNN, the 23-year-old has taken part in a number of fundraisers to ‘pay for her treatment’. The most recent was held in April and raised $14,000 (€12,500).
An anonymous letter tipped off police to the scheme.
An investigation found no evidence that Weaver-Gates had ever been under a doctor’s care for cancer.
State Police Trooper Thomas Stock called her efforts to make people believe she had cancer “an elaborate scheme,” telling local news outlet WJAC she would have relatives drive her a hospital in Baltimore.
They would wait in the lobby for hours for while she went to another part of the hospital to kill time. She also reportedly shaved her head at one point.
Pageant sponsor Butler’s Beauties said they were “saddened” to hear the news.
We were also led to believe that she was dealing with this horrible disease and stood by her as she struggled being a beauty queen and a cancer patient.
When you deceive the public and take people’s money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions. Our hearts go out to those affected by cancer and to those who were taken advantage of by Miss Weaver-Gates.
Weaver-Gates has been stripped of her title and is due to appear in court next week.
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