Woman Gets Prison Time for Faking Cancer
A Chattanooga woman named Keele Maynor is facing three years in prison and ten years of probation after pleading guilty to multiple charges of fraud in connection with a scheme in which the lady pretended to have cancer in order to elicit sympathy, favors, and money. The scheme appears to have been a successful one at the outset, with Ms. Maynor reportedly acquiring vacation days from her co-workers, donations from churches and booster clubs, and a fund set up by her friends that she could dip into any time she needed money to battle her illness. All in all, Ms. Maynor received in excess of $50,000 worth of donations as a result of the scheme. As often happens, however, Ms. Maynor started to feel guilty about the situation and eventually confessed to those around her.
Tennessee consolidates offenses such as fraud, embezzlement, larceny, etc. into the single offense of theft. Theft is graded according to the value of the property or services obtained by the theft, with the most serious theft offense being theft of over $60,000 which is graded as a Class B felony in Tennessee, punishable by up to thirty years in prison. Ms. Maynor’s offense seems to come in right below that level based on reports, falling within the $10,000 to $60,000 range.
Generally, theft is committed because the defendant needs or wants money, which makes this case a little atypical. Ms. Maynor was reportedly seeking attention more than anything in this situation, but nevertheless theft can be charged any time someone obtains control over the property of another person with the intent to deprive that person of their property without their consent. This would include accepting donations in the name of a fake charity or on behalf of a fake illness, as such circumstances invariably means that the victim did not consent to the transaction as it actually took place. As demonstrated by this situation, a charge of theft can lead to serious prison times for defendants. Thus, defendants charged with such offenses should contact a skilled criminal defense attorney who can assist them in fighting the charges.
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