Worthington Woman Indicted for Claiming to Need Life-Saving Transplant, Stealing from Friends

A Worthington woman accused of conning her closest friends out of nearly $100,000 faces felony theft charges.

Detectives said Rebecca Fasone took advantage of her friends and co-workers by taking money for a kidney transplant she never got or even needed.

One victim told 10TV that she never thought she was being conned. She said she handed over more than $10,000. She ended up getting her money back, but other victims didn't.

Jeaniene Doughty said it was after her husband passed away, and she collected the insurance money, that her co-worker, Rebecca Fasone, started asking for financial help.  

"The first time I lent her money was $972 last June," Doughty said. "She told me she needed it for her anti-rejection medication for her supposed kidney transplant."

Doughty says she continued to lend money, more than $10,000 in all. She said she did it all with the promise of being paid back. Doughty said, "She was just the type of person who never gave you a reason not to trust her."

Another friend of Fasones was suspicious, and filed a police report claiming that she gave Fasone $14,000 for a kidney transplant.

According to the report, Fasone told her she would pay it back, but she didn't.

Westerville police detective Ted Smith said what Fasone was doing is considered a Ponzi scheme.

"So you are borrowing money from one person, and in order to pay them back once the pressure comes to make the payment, then you go ask another person for a loan and then you pay the money back." Detective Smith said.

Doughty says she ended up getting her money back, but she says she still feels cheated.

"She can tell me all day long she didn't take advantage of me and my situation, but she did," Doughty said.

Detective Smith said he believes Fasone had been scamming people for at least a year.

He said he's aware of at least a half dozen victims, but says there could be more.

Fasone's arraignment date hasn't been set.