Germany: 42-year-old woman admits €358,000 fraud using fake child cancer diagnosis
A woman in Giessen faces 13 charges after forging medical reports to collect donations. Her lawyer read out a written confession to all charges.
Trial in Giessen for cancer forgery and fraud exceeding €358,000
A 42-year-old woman obtained more than €358,000 in donations by forging medical documents presenting her son as a patient with skin cancer. According to Efimerida ton Syntakton, the case is now being tried at the Regional Court of Giessen.
According to the indictment, in January 2021 a five-year-old boy was examined at Marburg university hospital for a skin irregularity of no serious character. His mother, however, transferred the child to a Swiss clinic and there drafted a fake medical report on the hospital's letterhead, describing a "serious case of skin cancer".
Subsequently, over a period of years, she obtained large sums through charitable events. She is said to have convinced both her husband and the school of the child's alleged illness. Even the son himself believed that he was suffering from cancer and that he did not have much time left.
The defendant faces a total of 13 charges, including fraud and forgery. At the beginning of the trial, her lawyer read out a written confession to all charges.
The child has been under child protection supervision since the start of the investigation, whilst the guardianship case is pending. The charges that had initially been brought against the father were withdrawn due to lack of evidence.
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton