Canadian Cancer Scammer Arrested
23-year-old Ashley Kirilow allegedly faked having cancer to raise $20,000 for her fraud charity. She turned herself in yesterday and has been charged with three counts of fraud, for which she faces up to two years in prison.
The arrest happened "without incident," police told The Star.
The Star also offers some insight into Kirilow's twisted thinking as she let the residents of Burlington, Ontario organize benefit concerts for her charity, Change for a Cure, and arrange free trips to Disney World for her. "I took it as an opportunity to make my family feel bad for how I was treated," she said. (Her childhood was marked by an extended custody battle between her parents.) And she is apparently biploar—she showed the Star her prescription drugs for the condition.
Kirilow wants everyone to know that, even as she took advantage of people's best intentions, she felt bad about it: "It was nice to have people care about me," she told the Star. "At the same time, I felt really horrible." She spent the money raised (anywhere from $4,000, according to Kirilow, to $20,000 according to those scammed by her) but says she'll work to donate that much to a real charity.
Soon, Kirilow will be Working at McDonald's for a Cure. (Also, Being Imprisoned for a Cure.)