08/24/2013 // West Palm Beach , Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)

Vernal – A Utah woman was charged with fraud after she allegedly faked her daughter having cancer. As reported by the Deseret News, Abreail Denise “Abby” Winkler, 30, is accused of spending thousands of dollars she collected from donors who believed her 4-year-old child was ill on bills.

Members of the Vernal community began contacting authorities after growing suspicious of Winkler’s claims.

Vernal police detective Shaun Smith is quoted as writing in a probable cause statement, “During the course of my investigation, I spoke with numerous individuals who had donated monies under the pretense that (the child) had leukemia.”

Winkler had reportedly received more than $3,000 in donations prior to her arrest. According to Smith, in addition to members of the community, she had also convinced her daughter that she was ill.

The detective is quoted as stating to the Deseret News of the child, “Up until a couple days prior to us interviewing (the girl), she still at that point believed that she had cancer…At this point, she knows that she does not and appears to be coping with it well.”

Winkler has been charged with one count of communication fraud, which is a third-degree felony.

This report is provided by Justice News Flash – Utah Legal News.

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