Dad fakes his 4-year-old son’s cancer death for money and sympathy, New York cops say
A father faked the cancer death of his 4-year-old son to get money and sympathy after lying about the boy having stage 3 leukemia, police in New York say.
The father, 30, from Adams, a town in northern New York, was arrested on Oct. 9 after telling his co-workers he needed donations for a funeral, according to an Oct. 11 news release.
He convinced at least two people to pay him $1,500 in total, state authorities say. One person gave him a $1,000 check and the other donated $500 in cash.
Now the man is facing two felony charges — fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud, according to police.
An investigation revealed the son is alive and that the boy never had stage 3 leukemia, the release states.
Police say the man lied about his son dying on Aug. 4 at a St. Jude hospital, which specializes in treating childhood cancer and diseases at facilities in New York and across the country.
Authorities did not say in the news release whether the man had retained an attorney.
He is scheduled to appear in a Jefferson County court on Oct. 28, according to police.
Adams is below the U.S.-Canada border and about 190 miles northwest of Albany.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Dad fakes his 4-year-old son’s cancer death for money and sympathy, New York cops say."
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