Robin Niceta pleads guilty to faking cancer to avoid prosecution in Colorado false reporting case

A Colorado woman has pleaded guilty to several charges in connection to faking cancer to avoid prosecution in a false reporting case. According to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Robin Niceta pleaded guilty on Tuesday morning to attempting to influence a public servant, forgery, tampering with physical evidence, criminal impersonation and second-degree forgery. 

Niceta, a former Arapahoe County human services worker, is serving a four-year prison sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections after a judge sentenced her in May. Niceta was convicted in November 2023 of attempting to influence a public servant by filing a false report. She made a false claim of child abuse against Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky.  

Niceta was first charged in 2022 after she anonymously left a false tip about Jurinsky possibly sexually abusing her son with the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services. Investigators eventually cleared Jurinsky of any wrongdoing and traced the call to Niceta, who was dating the former Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson.

According to prosecutors, the investigation revealed that Niceta made the call the day after Jurinsky went on a podcast and spoke negatively about Wilson. 

As court proceedings against her were moving through the courts, Niceta provided medical records and MRI images suggesting she was suffering from cancerous brain tumors and would be unable to appear in court. Investigators later found those medical records were falsified. 

"This defendant went to great lengths to fake a terminal illness and fabricate records in order to avoid facing justice," Chief Deputy DA Chris Gallo said in a statement. "The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office spent countless hours gathering digital evidence and records which ultimately helped us unravel Niceta's scam." 

"It's absurd that a former social worker entrusted to protect children maliciously attempted to tear a family apart with false accusations against another public official," District Attorney John Kellner said in a statement. "Her actions were spiteful, vindictive, and wasted numerous county resources. I believe her nefarious conduct warrants additional time in the Department of Corrections."    

Niceta is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2025 at 10 a.m.