Woman Accused Of Breast Cancer Scam Due In Court
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A former Southland woman accused of faking a breast cancer diagnosis for money was scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Lacy Johnson, 33, was extradited from Denver following her arrest on July 29 in Colorado Springs on felony charges of identity theft, grand theft and burglary.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Johnson - also known as Lacy Hall - who spent over two years on the run from authorities after an earlier arrest in 2011.
Investigators believe at least 50 victims have been cheated out of money by Johnson, whose alleged scams have inspired at least one Facebook page and even a website created by an alleged victim to warn the public.
In 2010, Johnson was pictured on a flyer claiming she suffered from breast cancer and was in need of "gene therapy", and asking for donations to be sent to Temple Beth Emet in Burbank
Police told KCAL9's Suraya Fadel that Johnson was also behind "Care Package Bears", a website which supposedly donated money to soldiers overseas, but which Fadel later reported is neither recognized nor registered as a non-profit organization.
Johnson also collected over $2,500 in donations to participate in an October 2008 charity marathon for leukemia in San Francisco, but donors allege Lacy pocketed the cash instead.
Johnson was scheduled to appear in court at 9:30 a.m
