Pennsylvania Beauty Queen Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates Allegedly Faked Leukemia, Raked In Thousands In Donations
A Pennsylvania beauty queen has been jailed on accusations of faking cancer, an elaborate scheme that led to her benefiting from thousands of dollars of donation money. Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, a 23-year-old reigning Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of theft by deception and receiving stolen property.
According to CNN, Weaver-Gates led everyone to believe she had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in March 2013.The young woman went so far as to shave her head and have family members drive her to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment. Various fundraisers were held in an attempt to capitalize on her lie, the latest of which was held in April and raised $14,000.
An anonymous letter gave police the tip-off about the scheme.
“When confronted with what the investigation revealed, the accused advised that she did not want to incriminate herself and invoked her right to an attorney,” Pennsylvania State Police said in a press release.
Weaver-Gates is being held in the Centre County Correctional Facility after being charged, with her bond set at $150,000.
Upon Weaver-Gates’ arrest, Butler Beauties, which coordinates Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International, made a statement saying she had been stripped of her title.
“Butler Beauties believes that with a crown and sash you can accomplish many things as a role model, spokesmodel and community leader as a beauty pageant queen,” they said. “When you deceive the public and take the people’s money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions.”
They also noted Weaver-Gates must return her sash and crown upon being released from jail.