The Bettendorf woman accused of soliciting over $37,000 from donors on GoFundMe by faking cancer has pleaded guilty to first-degree theft.
Online court records say Madison Russo, now 20, had a plea hearing on Wednesday. She had initially pleaded not guilty in February. Russo will now face a judge for sentencing.
She could serve up to 10 years in prison.
Russo's case made national headlines following her arrest. Eldridge police began their investigation in January after anonymous witnesses told detectives about some medical discrepancies found in photos that she had posted on various social media sites, including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Russo also shared her story publicly through social media and a GoFundMe page, which was featured in the North Scott Press newspaper on Oct. 18. Russo also discussed her cancer journey as a guest speaker at St. Ambrose University, The National Pancreatic Foundation and on the Project Purple podcast.
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As time moved on, more people came forward with how she had enticed them to give her money for her fake pancreatic cancer treatments. Police said they even recovered various items during their search of her apartment back in January, including:
- Medical equipment such as an IV pole, IV tubes and medical bandages.
- 2023 Kia Sportage.
- $346 in cash.
- An iPhone with a black case.
- A brown wig.
- Two different planners.
- Four pages of emails from "Coach Chela."
- Financial statements with bank information, including information about another person.
- Two prescription bottles prescribed to another person.
- Receipts.
- Gift cards.
- Michael Kors purse.
GoFundMe ended up refunding the money that had been donated to her.
"My thinking is, say a prayer for this young kid, because she's going to have a lot of terrible consequences as a result of this," donor Louis Frillman told News 8 back in January, explaining that empathy was the key ingredient in his $500 donation.
Frillmen was one of over 400 donors across the country who contributed to the campaign, and as GoFundMe began rolling out refunds, he and many others were surprised.
"I thought she had passed away," Frillman said.
Another donor, who asked to not be on camera, told News 8 that the scam is impacting their ability to trust others in need of help.
"Now I am sickened, not for my $200, but that now I have to hesitate about helping others," they said.
