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In a shocking revelation, a mother from Nevada admitted to concocting a fake story about having pancreatic cancer, all in an attempt to garner sympathy and companionship. This elaborate scheme also allowed her to receive over $20,000 in donations, which she used on personal expenses for herself and her children.
Haleigh Knight, appearing in a Las Vegas courtroom, acknowledged her deceit by pleading guilty to felony theft. She confessed to falsifying a cancer diagnosis to establish a fraudulent fundraising campaign that duped numerous individuals, including a longtime friend who is a breast cancer survivor. This fraudulent activity spanned from June 2023 to April 2024, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Prosecutors unveiled evidence from Knight’s own text messages, which revealed her masquerading as various individuals to create multiple GoFundMe accounts, all to perpetuate her false narrative. The funds collected were used to cover personal expenses, such as bills and support for her children.
One of the victims, Cydney Fink, who had known Knight since high school, recounted in court documents accessed by KLAS that Knight expressed remorse for her actions. Knight reportedly admitted that her behavior felt like she was controlled by “two different people,” unable to stop herself from the deceit.
The court documents further revealed Knight’s belief that feigning cancer would evoke guilt in her family and friends, thus fostering more love and attention towards her. This manipulation of emotions underscores the depths of her fraudulent scheme.
Breast cancer survivor and victim Suzanne Duroy told KSNV she donated to Knight’s GoFundMe and was left “in shock” upon learning she had never had cancer.
“I couldn’t believe it. I really could not believe it,” Duroy said, adding that she first met Knight in 2022 while they were working at a surgery center.
Duroy said she had relocated to Florida to care for her mother when Knight’s sister reached out to her about the fake cancer diagnosis — and being a cancer survivor herself — became her “chemo angel,” sending the con artist nearly $1,000 in gift cards and presents.
“It’s really not the money for me. It’s just the point, like I felt heartbroken for her,” Duroy said.
Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland, which plays a key role in male reproductive function, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men and, when detected early, is often highly treatable, though advanced cases can spread to other parts of the body.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, claiming roughly 35,000 lives in the US each year.
Another of Knight’s victims, Rachel Riedel, described the fraudster as a “sociopath” who “will scam you if she can touch you.”
“It infuriates me that she would take advantage of her community, of her family,” Riedel told KSNV.
Following her guilty plea, Knight agreed to pay $19,787.12 in restitution as part of her plea deal, the Review-Journal reported.
If Knight pays the restitution and completes probation and other requirements, she can withdraw her felony plea, plead guilty to misdemeanor theft and receive credit for time served.
Knight is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24.