Woman Fakes Cancer; Betrays Friends

Friends were heartbroken when 36-year-old Jean Anne Allen told them she had only six months to live. They were even more heartbroken when they found out it was all a lie.

Allen, a medical assistant, told her coworkers at Medical Weight Loss Clinic in Jackson, Michigan, that she had been diagnosed with liver cancer for the third time. Part of her liver had been removed years earlier, she said, and this time there was little hope.

Friends and family scrambled to raise money for the medication and chemotherapy they hoped would save her life. At the clinic, they sold items to benefit Allen. They organized a blood drive. Nearby Napoleon Schools hosted a spaghetti dinner in hopes of raising funds. Classmates of Allen's children collected coins and donated them to the cause. The total raised was at least $20,000, but investigators suspect there may be more funds still undocumented.

One friend, Anitra Hotchkiss, did more than give money. She took tests and prepared herself to donate part of her liver to Allen, but it never came to that. Allen kept putting it off and as the months went by, friends became suspicious and began asking questions.

Stephanie Fitch, who helped organize the spaghetti dinner, grew even more suspicious when she looked into Allen's history and found out that she had been married to two men at the same time. Fitch then looked into the bank account which held the raised funds and discovered that Allen had withdrawn all the money. Both their names were on the account.

Investigators found no history of cancer in Allen's medical records, but attorney Ken Hotchkiss, who is not related to Anitra Hotchkiss, is in the middle of his own investigation into the matter. He believes his client does have a history of cancer. While he is not certain of Allen's current state of cancer, he told the Jackson Citizen Patriot that she does have "a number of serious and significant medical issues."

Allen was arraigned on April 26 and charged with receiving money under false pretenses. The charge carries a sentence of 5 years in prison and $10,000 or up to three times the amount of money received, whichever is greater. She pleaded not guilty and is out on bond pending a preliminary exam scheduled for May 8.

Stating that the fraud charges are more significant, investigators have decided not to pursue a polygamy charge at this time.

SOURCES:

"Woman Faces Charges for Faking Cancer," Jackson Citizen Patriot, April 26, 2007
URL: http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1177596538194750.xml&coll=3

"Accused Cancer Faker Draws Ire," Jackson Citizen Patriot, April 27, 2007
URL: http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1177682736111490.xml&coll=3&thispage=1

"Woman Charged With Cancer Fraud," Earthtimes, April 28, 2007
URL: http://earthtimes.org/articles/show/56912.html