Woman pleads in cancer fraud

A former Elmhurst woman who defrauded neighbors and local civic groups of meals, clothing and more than $43,000 by falsely claiming she had cancer—even cutting her hair short—pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to 6 months in the DuPage County Jail.

Josette Hamilton, 34, a mother of three, collected the funds from hundreds of individuals, created a Web site seeking donations, set up a bank account and was preparing to sell raffle tickets at a fundraiser she was planning. She was charged with theft by deception and operating a fraudulent scheme.
Hamilton was also ordered to repay $43,256 and serve 2½ years probation.

Beginning in 2005, Hamilton told people she had non-Hodgkins lymphoma and needed several costly operations. She claimed she was on the edge of financial ruin because of debilitating treatments.

"You took advantage of hard-working, caring people," said DuPage Judge George Bakalis. "You took advantage of their kind-hearted nature. I can only hope people won't be halted from making such contributions to really needy people in the future."

Hamilton must make restitution to a long list of donors supplied by the Elmhurst Police Department.

Assistant State's Atty. Demetri Demopoulos said besides cash, people donated food, clothes, did her laundry, picked up her children at local schools. Helping to raise money were many business and civic groups, several Elmhurst churches and teachers and staff at the school her children attended, he said.

Hamilton never looked Friday at several of those she defrauded, but she wiped away tears as she was taken by a deputy to the County Jail. She had been free on $50,000 bail since her January 2006 arrest.

Demopoulos said that "most of the people will get their cash back because Elmhurst Detective Steven Weatherford quickly froze her bank accounts containing more than $34,000 in cash. Many of the individual cash donations were for $300, he said.

"We hope we will always have a big heart, but now we know never give cash," said Jena Medema, a member of the Elmhurst Junior Women's Club. "To think, I left my own family on Christmas to pick up her children's Christmas stockings."

Resident Donna Stubbs said at one point Hamilton cut her hair short and wore a bandanna as if she were receiving cancer treatment. But Demopoulos said Hamilton was examined by a physician in February 2006 and no cancer was found.

Hamilton, who had been convicted of passing a bad check in 1998, faced a potential maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Elmhurst police, who believe the scheme went on for about five months, began to investigate after several people grew suspicious and contacted them.

Her children are living with relatives.