Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, a 23-year-old beauty queen, has been indicted with theft by deception and receiving stolen property charges after faking she had cancer and collecting fundraiser money.
Weaver-Gates has been stripped of her Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International title after the Pennsylvania State Police received an anonymous letter that she was faking her illness, which led to an investigation.
Butler’s Beauties, who sponsors the pageant, has since revoked her title. “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,” they said in a Facebook post.
“When you deceive the public and take people’s money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions,” they continued.
Fox News reports Weaver-Gates collected $14,000 at a fundraiser back in April. The police department is urging anyone who made a donation to come forward.
After claiming she was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in March 2013, there have been several fundraisers in her honor.
A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 19.