4
News
Thursday, March 3, 2016
The Northern Star is hiring reporters, columnists and photographers to cover NIU and DeKalb. Apply online at bitly/1n6Y2gX.
The Associated Press
Alissa Jackson, of Belleville, leaves the courtroom at the St. Clair County Building in Belleville. Jackson, who pleaded guilty to lying about a terminal ovarian cancer diagnosis, was sentenced Tuesday.
Mother fakes ovarian cancer, receives $50K
prosecutors will seek restitution at
The Associated Press
Belleville | An Illinois woman a separate hearing in several weeks.
TAKE GOOD TO THE BANK
Giving back doesn’t have to be its own reward. When you donate plasma with BioLife, you’re not only doing good, you’re also receiving compensation for your time.
VISIT BIOLIFEPLASMA.COM TO SCHEDULE YOUR LIFE-SAVING DONATION.
ALL DONORS RECEIVE UP TO
$70
PER WEEK IN FEB & MARCH!
SAVE A LIFE IN ABOUT AN HOUR!
1455 COUNTY FARM RD • DEKALB • 815.754.5777 LOCATED NEAR WALMART
$130
NEW DONORS PRESENT THIS COUPON AND RECEIVE $130 IN JUST THREE DONATIONS. Must present this coupon prior to the initial donation to receive a total of $30 on your first, a total of $50 on your second and a total of $50 on your third successful donation. Initial donation must be completed by 3.31.16 and subsequent donations within 30 days. Coupon redeemable only upon completing successful donations. May not be combined with any other offer. Only at participating locations.
who pretended to have ovarian cancer said she just wanted to belong, to be accepted after years of abuse and mental illness. Alissa Jackson’s friends, neighbors and strangers in southwestern Illinois — and far beyond — just wanted to help the 32-year-old mother of five whom they believed was terminally ill. Jackson’s years long deceit culminated Tuesday in a St. Clair County courtroom, where her husband and four of their children watched as she was led away in handcuffs after Circuit Judge Jan Fiss handed down a three-year prison sentence for fraud. The charges stem from an online campaign and a succession of charity fundraisers on behalf of “Alissa’s Army” that netted her thousands of dollars, donated meals, a free vacation, vehicles and more. “People everywhere opened their hearts and wallets with every Facebook post from Alissa’s Army,” said Jennifer Huelsmann, describing a friendship that began in February 2012 after noticing Jackson — the mother of her daughter’s best friend — wearing a protective face mask and knit cap, intravenous tubes protruding from her arm, at a school volleyball game. Huelsmann estimated that online fundraising efforts and several community events netted Jackson more than $50,000. St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly declined to disclose a specific dollar amount tied to the scam and said
Jackson didn’t testify on her behalf, instead relying on her lawyer to read her written statement. Both her husband and defense attorney described a troubled childhood marked by sexual abuse, drug addiction and, after the birth of her children, severe postpartum depression. “Money — that’s not what she was looking for,” said St. Louis lawyer Patrick Kilgore. “She was looking for the camaraderie, the friendship, the relationships, the sense of belonging.” Jackson said in her statement that she began taking chemotherapy medicine unnecessarily in early 2012 and that her intent was selfharm, not deception. “I simply wanted to think and feel nothing at all,” Jackson wrote. “Over time it became easier to say I had cancer than to describe the hell I was going through.” The fraud unraveled in April 2014 after Jackson told Huelsmann, her husband and others that she was at the hospital on the verge of death, even sharing photos purportedly from her emergency room bed. A check of hospital records showed she had not been admitted. Jackson was arrested in June 2014 and pleaded guilty in December to two counts of theft of more than $500 by deception. Jackson could have been sentenced to probation or up to five years in prison. Kelly asked the judge for a four-year prison sentence.
HOURS Sun-Thur: 4pm - 12am Fri & Sat: 12pm - 2am
214 E. Lincoln Hwy Downtown DeKalb
815-758-2677
www.eduardosdekalb.com
Want a Friday Fish Change? Grilled Salmon with a chipolte avacado sauce. & Grilled Shrimp Fish Tacos