Highland woman accused of faking cancer, genetic disorders pleads not guilty to fraud
A Highland woman accused of faking breast cancer and genetic disorders in order to receive financial assistance and other benefits pleaded not guilty to federal charges Monday.
Sarah Delashmit, 35, was indicted in March on four counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of mail fraud in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Illinois.
Delashmit was arraigned by U.S. Magistrate Judge Gilbert Sison, who released her on recognizance and ordered her to surrender her passport to the district probation office.
The case is being prosecuted by Luke Weissler of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Fairview Heights. Delashmit will be represented by an assigned federal public defender.
According to the grand jury indictment, Delashmit falsely claimed in October 2015 and March 2016 that she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy to attend Camp Summit, a nonprofit camp serving people with disabilities that’s based in Dallas, Texas. She applied for the camp using another person’s identity and provided that person’s Social Security benefit statements as proof of income.
While at Camp Summit, the indictment states, Delashmit confined herself to a wheelchair and pretended to need assistance with most daily activities, like bathing and getting dressed, despite being able to walk and care for herself. The indictment also states that Delashmit applied for and received financial assistance to attend the camp.
Carla Weiland, Camp Summit’s chief executive officer, previously told the BND in a statement that the camp learned of Delashmit’s deception during a spring break session.
“At that time, we were in contact with her family and pastor to assist in getting her the help they felt was needed,” Weiland said.
The indictment states that Delashmit falsely claimed she was a breast cancer survivor from October 2017 to March 2018 in order to go on a trip and receive donated items through a nonprofit organization in New York City called the Young Survival Coalition.
Delashmit accepted a travel grant to attend the nonprofit’s National Summit in Orlando, Florida, for cancer survivors and young adults living with cancer, the indictment states. She also received a new bicycle and cycling equipment through the organization’s Tour de Pink Survivor Bike Program.
In May 2019, the indictment states, Delashmit used the same person’s stolen identity and credit card information to obtain a free triathlon bicycle from a Miami eBay user valued at almost $4,500.
The indictment states Delashmit must forfeit the property she received by making the alleged false claims, including a pair of cycling shoes, two bicycles and a jersey with the word “Survivor” on it.
Each of the fraud counts against Delashmit carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The counts of aggravated identity theft each carry a mandatory prison sentence of 2 years.
Delashmit’s next court appearance will be Aug. 13 at the U.S. District Courthouse in Benton in front of Judge Staci Yandle. A jury trial for the case has been set for Aug. 24 at 9 a.m.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 2:02 PM.
.jpg)