Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International, Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates was sentenced to 2-4 years in jail and 5 years probation after convincing family, friends, and other cancer patients that she was diagnosed with leukemia.
Weaver-Gates told family and friends she was diagnosed with leukemia back in March 2013. She’s since raised $30,000 in donations from fundraisers held in her honor after shaving her head, pretending to be undergoing chemotherapy. Friends and family of even carried Weaver-Gates across the finish line at a race, and drove her to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD for cancer treatment. In July 2015, Weaver-Gates bragged on social media about finally being in “remission” from the disease.
It wasn’t until Weaver-Gates’s hair started to grow back did her family get suspicious. They then questioned why Weaver-Gates wouldn’t allow them to attend her doctor’s appointments after dropping her off. Rising suspicions led them to contact the hospitals where Weaver-Gates claimed to be undergoing cancer treatment. The hospital told Weaver-Gates’s friends and family they had no record of Weaver-Gates receiving treatment at their facility or ever having cancer.
She was arrested in August 2015 and held on $150,000 bail at the Centre County Correctional Facility. On July 26th of this year, Weaver-Gates was sentenced to 2-4 years in jail, 5 years probation, and ordered to pay back $30,000 in restitution. The beauty pageant organization where Weaver-Gates earned her Miss Pennsylvania title demanded she return her sash and stripped her of her former title.
Via CNN:
Weaver-Gates was sentenced to two to four years in prison and five years of probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to multiple charges of theft by deception and receiving stolen property, according to court documents.
Weaver-Gates admitted in court to raising over $30,000 and defrauding 150 people in her scheme, many of whom had cancer themselves.“This was the ultimate betrayal of our giving community and those who actually battle cancer and their loved ones,” District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said in a news release. “She actually stole that time and money from giving people who were actually suffering from cancer, some of whom lived near her and have since passed.”
Weaver-Gates, who was initially charged last August, in court acknowledged her fraud and apologized to her victims.“She pledged to pay everyone back and promised she had a plan and wanted to be held accountable,” Parks Miller said.After her arrest, Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International revoked her title and demanded Weaver-Gates return her crown and sash.“When you deceive the public and take people’s money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions,” said a statement from the pageant organizers Butler’s Beauties in August.CNN reached out to Weaver-Gates’ lawyer, Deborah Lux, but did not receive an immediate response.
Unfortunately, this wasnt thr first tale Weaver-Gates told. According to Heavy.com,
A graduate of Bald Eagle Area High School who went on to Penn State University, Weaver-Gates also claimed was also burned by boiling water over 32 percent of her lower body, according to StateCollege.com. It’s not clear if that actually happened. The news site said Weaver-Gates spent 11 months receiving treatments and physical therapy after the burn, and had to perform special exercises and receive special procedures on to keep the scar tissue soft and so it could stretch.