Germany: 42-year-old woman forged son's cancer diagnosis and collected €358,000
A woman in Giessen is being tried for fraud after forging a medical report with a false cancer diagnosis for her five-year-old son. She obtained at least €358,000 from donations.
Forged cancer diagnosis for her son – trial for €358,000 fraud in Giessen
At least €358,000 was obtained from donors by a 42-year-old woman in Germany who forged a medical report presenting her son as seriously ill with cancer, according to In.gr. The case is being heard in the Regional Court of Giessen.
According to the indictment, in January 2021 her son, then five years old, was admitted to the University Hospital of Marburg for a skin abnormality that proved to be harmless. The mother subsequently accompanied the child to a hospital in Switzerland, where she used the clinic's official letterhead to forge a report diagnosing "a serious case of skin cancer".
With the forged document in hand, the woman raised money over years through charitable events. She had persuaded her husband, the school – and even her son himself – that the child was suffering from cancer and did not have much time to live, according to the Athens News Agency.
The defendant faces 13 charges, including fraud and forgery. At the beginning of the trial, her lawyer read out a written confession to all the charges.
Her husband initially faced charges, which were withdrawn due to lack of evidence. The child has been under the care of social services since the start of the investigation, whilst his custody case remains ongoing.
Source: In.gr