SAN JOSE – Amanda Christine Riley was sentenced in federal court today to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to solicit donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she never needed nor received, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson.  The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Beth Labson Freeman, United States District Judge for the Northern District of California.

Beginning in 2012, Riley, who was then living in San Jose, began to falsely report that she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer.  Although she was not actually ill, Riley carefully cultivated a social media presence, using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a blog.  She used her presence on these sites to “document” her nonexistent medical condition, and to aggressively solicit donations, supposedly to cover her medical expenses.  In truth, Riley had no medical expenses.  The donations she received were deposited into her personal bank accounts and used to pay her living expenses.  In total, the government identified 349 individuals and entities who made contributions with a total value of $105,513 towards Riley’s fabricated medical expenses.

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