NOBLE COUNTY, Ohio — A grand jury indicted an Ohio woman accuse of lying about her child having cancer and deceiving organizations into giving her money.
On Jan. 4, the Noble County Sheriff’s Office and Noble County Children’s Services in eastern Ohio received information about a possible scam.
The agencies were told that a child in the area was fighting cancer. Several organizations helped with fundraising efforts and donated money to help the family offset medical expenses.
Detectives launched an investigation and determined that her child did not have cancer. It was also discovered that one of the organizations donated approximately $8,000 to the family to help pay for cancer treatment.
Pamela Reed, 41, of Pleasant City, was arrested earlier this month. The sheriff’s office said during an interview, she admitted to exaggerating and fabricating medical conditions to receive money.
A grand jury indicted Reed on eight counts of forgery, two counts of endangering children, one count of grand theft and one count of telecommunications fraud.
In total, the sheriff's office said Reed has stolen more than $100,000.
Sheriff Jason Mackie told 10TV Reed has been doing this scam for years, but couldn't say for sure how many.
The sheriff’s office is asking other people and organizations to contact detectives if they believe they were victims in this case.
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