Charges of falsely claiming breast cancer filed against Highland woman
Sarah A. Delashmit, a 35-year-old Highland woman, has been indicted by a grand federal jury. The jury returned an eight-count indictment to the Southern District of Illinois. According to the indictment, Delashmit was allegedly involved in wire fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. According to the court documents, Delashmit falsely claimed that she had breast cancer and a genetic disorder.
The jury indicted the woman with making a false claim to get financial assistance and other benefits. The court documents revealed that Delashmit allegedly claimed that she had muscular disorder dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to attend Camp Summit. Camp Summit is a nonprofit camp that serves disabled individuals in Texas.
The indictment charged the woman with falsely pretending not to be able to perform her daily activities. It stated that Delashmit confined herself to a wheelchair to present herself as a person with disabilities at Camp Summit. The indictment stated that Delashmit was fully able to walk and perform her daily activities.
The indictment further stated that Delashmit falsely pretended to be a breast cancer survivor. The false claim allowed her to go on a trip organized by the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), the indictment stated. The YSC is a nonprofit organization based in New York that serves young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer. The indictment also stated that Delashmit was involved in making a false statement to obtain a triathlon bicycle from an internet retailer without paying for it.
According to the court documents, Delashmit will appear in the court on March 24, 2020, at 10:00 am. The mail fraud and wire fraud charges are punishable for up to 20 years in federal prison. The identity theft charge is punishable for up to two years in prison upon conviction. An indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.
