States Attorney
ELMHURST WOMAN SENTENCED FOR SCAMMINMG MORE THAN $43,000 FROM COMMUNITY
Claimed She Suffered From Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as a Way to Raise Money
WHEATON – DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett announced today that Judge George Bakalis sentenced Elmhurst resident Josette Hamilton, 35 (d.o.b. 8/20/72) to six months in jail for fraudulently soliciting and accepting monetary donations from community residents and organizations. Hamilton was sentenced after she pled guilty to one count of Theft by Deception and one count of Wire Fraud, each a Class 3 Felony.
The charges against Hamilton stem from allegations that between November 2005 and March 2006, she claimed that she suffered from serious medical problems including cancer. In an effort to further her scheme, Hamilton formed the Josette Hamilton Cancer Fund and claimed that the proceeds would go to help pay for the cost of her on-going cancer treatment and help support her family. Since its inception, the Fund collected approximately $38,000 to assist Josette Hamilton. Other donations totaling approximately $5,000 were made directly to Hamilton.
Suspicious of Hamilton’s claims however, residents alerted the Elmhurst Police Department who launched an investigation.
Birkett praised the actions of the Elmhurst Police Department as well as the actions of the concerned citizens who brought the matter to the Department’s attention. “I would like to commend the Elmhurst Police Department, particularly Sergeant Steve Weatherford, for their fine work in this case,” commented Birkett. “Because of their efforts, we were able to put an end to Ms. Hamilton’s deceitful scheme. I would also like to thank the residents of Elmhurst. Obviously they were very generous when they believed they were helping a woman facing a very serious, possibly life-threatening medical condition. They were also instrumental in bringing Ms. Hamilton’s scheme to an end. Without their help Ms. Hamilton would have continued her appalling scheme.”
In addition to the jail sentence, Hamilton was also ordered to serve 30 months probation and pay full restitution of $43,256.84. Hamilton was taken into custody immediately after sentencing to begin serving her jail sentence.
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