- Maddie Russo lied about having a "football size tumor that wrapped around her spine," according to police.
- She was arrested for stealing roughly $37,000 through a GoFundMe campaign set up on her behalf.
- A class C felony, for which Russo has been charged, is punishable by up to 10 years and jail.
Iowa teen Madison Russo first captured the hearts — and wallets — of a sympathetic public by chronicling her purported journey with cancer on social media. However, police say she has been lying about her diagnosis and subsequently stole roughly $37,000 from online donors through a GoFundMe campaign.
Russo, 19, was arrested on January 23 for theft by means of deception, a class C felony, according to an Eldridge Police Department press release provided to Insider. Iowa law states that a class C felony is punishable by up to 10 years in jail as well as fines ranging between $1,000 and $10,000.
Russo had garnered attention online after claiming she'd been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, stage 2 pancreatic cancer, and had a "football size tumor that wrapped around her spine," according to police.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up on her behalf and raised upwards of $37,000 from roughly 440 donors, but has since been removed. A spokesperson for GoFundMe told Insider that donors have been refunded and that the teen has also been permanently banned from the platform.
Police allege Russo also took donations from other businesses, non-profit organizations, school districts, and private citizens.
She was released on a $10,000 bond after her arrest, and is set to be arraigned on February 23.
Russo had spoken openly about living with cancer on social media and in the press. In October, she told the local paper The North Scott Press that she had been given an "11 percent survival rate for five years."
On social media, primarily TikTok, Russo shared elaborate details about her journey. In a now-deleted video re-shared to TikTok, Russo responded to inquiries about how she was able to maintain her lengthy hair. "It just comes down to my brand of chemo, which is oral chemo," she said in the video. "I got really lucky with that." Her TikTok account has since been deactivated.
Anonymous witnesses reportedly first tipped police off with suspicions. On January 11, an investigating officer sat with expert medical witnesses who "pointed out the many medical discrepancies found on her pictures," according to the release.
A subpoena of medical records showed that Russo "had never been diagnosed with any kind of cancer or tumor from any medical facilities within the Quad Cities or surrounding cities."
Police also said a search warrant of the 19-year-old's residence turned up items of "evidentiary value."
This included, per local outlet KWQC, a brown paper bag with medical supplies, an IV pole with a feeding pump filled with cotton balls, two boxes of transparent dressing, a wig, and pills for nausea prescribed to a relative.