CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A Chesterfield mother was arrested and charged with obtaining money by false pretenses after police said she lied about her four-year-old daughter having terminal cancer. Katie Patterson, 26, of Valerie Drive, solicited and received donations from co-workers for her child over several months, Chesterfield Police said.
Katie Patterson
The alleged fraud was reported to Chesterfield Police on Wednesday afternoon by three of Patterson's former co-workers.
"The victims said the suspect falsely claimed her four-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and accepted more than $2,000 in donations from them," a Chesterfield Police spokeswoman wrote in an email. "After further investigation, police obtained warrants for Katie H. Patterson, 26, for three counts of obtaining money by false pretenses."
Patterson was released from Chesterfield Jail on bond.
