# Woman Who Faked Cancer Charged



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

_Woman Says Living With Lie Was Nightmare_

*MADISON, Wis. -- *A Wisconsin woman faked having cancer and collected thousands of dollars from sympathetic donors in the process, according to a criminal complaint.

She has been charged with felony theft after allegedly duping friends and co-workers out of money.

Detectives said that Angelia Culberson, 36, had her head shaved and made fake trips to a hospital for chemotherapy.

The complaint, filed Wednesday, said some people drove Culberson to the University of Wisconsin Hospital for supposed chemotherapy treatments.

The report identified a dozen people and two businesses who donated a total of $6,000 for Culberson's cause.

Culberson worked for years with local electrical contractors and was well known by many in the trade. Authorities said she tugged at both their heartstrings and their wallets.

It has been four and a half years since Culberson reached out to co-workers and friends in what detectives now say was a hoax.

In the summer of 2002, a large fundraiser was thrown at an Arlington farm on Culberson's behalf. The fundraiser was held at the home of an electrical worker who, from time to time, would take Culberson and her daughter into the family home for periods of time, authorities said.

"When we found out she had cancer, hearts poured out. (We) had no clue whatsoever ... like I say, you don't want to think horrible things about people," said Joe Clevenger, a former colleague of Culberson.

Clevenger said that he and his wife gave Culberson between $2,000 and $3,000.

A newspaper story encouraged people to come and donate. The story read: "Culberson is a single parent who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. Due to aggressive medical treatment, she is no longer able to work."

Culberson would have people drive her to University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital for chemotherapy treatments.

"We're not certain what she was doing. We know that the victims who reported this spent the majority of their time sitting at the hospital waiting for her," said Det. Lt. Wayne Smith with the Columbia County Sheriff's Department.

In Monona, Culberson said she went to the Ultimate Spa and Salon to get her head shaved before chemotherapy caused her hair to fall out.

Hair designer Lisa Torgerud said she offered the service free of charge.

"I felt sorry for her. It broke my heart," Torgerud said.

As time passed, authorities said Culberson would tell people her cancer was in remission. But in a family court document filed last month, Culberson admitted she had faked her cancer. The complaint identified a document in which Culberson wrote that she lied to a co-worker about why she missed work because she was taking tests and that she might have had Hodgkin's disease.

"That would be pretty horrible to think about. You know, you've listened to and trusted and taken in. Yeah, I got taken alright," Clevenger said. "It's nauseating."

"You just don't cry wolf about having cancer," Torgerud said.

Culberson could face up to a $10,000 fine or a 15-year prison sentence if convicted.

In court documents, Culberson said living with the lie was a nightmare.

A message left at the office of Culberson's lawyer, Mark Borns, wasn't immediately returned Thursday night, and no one answered at his home number.

*Another Faked Cancer Story*

A former New Hampshire teacher who pretended to have cancer has pleaded guilty in upstate New York to using the ruse to get thousands of dollars in health benefits.

Candace Lambert, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday in Albany, N.Y., to grand larceny for receiving $25,000 in benefits from teaching in New York state and for trying to get a $110,000 cash payout.

Lambert faces up to one to three years in prison. She is to be sentenced in Albany on Jan. 23. She retired from teaching in New York in 2002, saying she had terminal cancer.

She resigned from Bedford, N.H., last winter after allegedly confessing she had forged medical documents to support her cancer claim.

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_Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._​


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