A TikToker, who scammed online donors out of $37,000 by pretending to have pancreatic cancer, has pleaded guilty to first-degree theft. Madison Russo, a 20-year-old student at St. Ambrose University, faked having stage 2 pancreatic cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and a large tumor wrapped around her spine. Russo was apprehended after an anonymous tipster alerted the Eldridge Police Department to inconsistencies in her social media photos. It was discovered that she had stolen images from actual cancer patients and shared them as her own. Russo had received donations from over 439 donors, including businesses, schools, colleges, charities, and individuals. She also gave interviews about her supposed illness and spoke at events for cancer-focused organizations. Despite claiming to have a low survival rate, medical records showed that Russo had never been diagnosed with cancer. Her TikTok account has been deleted, and her GoFundMe page was taken down. GoFundMe issued a statement assuring that all donors were fully refunded, and Russo has been banned from using the platform in the future. She could face up to 10 years in prison under Iowa state law.
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