Martha Nicholas, a Virginia resident who falsely claimed she had cancer, was charged Wednesday with two misdemeanor counts of obtaining money by false pretenses.
Hanover County authorities charged the 42-year-old for claiming she had the disease and allegedly taking money from people to help pay her medical bills, AP reports.
She claimed she had stage 4 ovarian cancer when she was in her twenties, and in July, a tearful Nicholas told a group of supporters that "each night, I wonder if it will be the last," according to WRIC-8.
Hanover sheriff’s Capt. Michael J. Trice says an anonymous tip in April prompted an investigation, which revealed no evidence that Nicholas had undergone cancer treatment at any facilities she had previously identified.
"Our investigation revealed no evidence of any cancer treatment at any medical facility that had been publicly identified by Martha Nicholas during her many public appearances and testimonials," said Capt. Trice, reports The Huffington Post.
"Investigators also found evidence of individuals that had given money to Martha Nicholas due to her proclaimed medical condition,” he added.
Several fundraisers were held to supposedly fund Nicholas’ treatment. In one interview from a Relay for Life event last summer, she told a WRIC-8 reporter that she raised over $10,000 selling necklaces and "Cancer Sucks" t-shirts.
Nicholas, a mother of two, faces arraignment Dec. 16 in Hanover County General District Court, AP reports.
