A TikToker who solicited over $37,000 from online donors by faking pancreatic cancer pleaded guilty to first-degree theft Wednesday.
According to court documents obtained by HuffPost, 20-year-old Madison Russo entered a plea in Iowa’s Scott County District Court in connection with the scheme, where she faked having stage 2 pancreatic cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and “a tumor the size of a football ... wrapped around her spine.”
Advertisement
Russo was 19 years old and studying at St. Ambrose University in Davenport when she was arrested on Jan. 23, according to the complaint. She was taken into custody after the Eldridge Police Department said an anonymous tipster “pointed out the many medical discrepancies found on her pictures posted on her social media site.”
Though Russo’s TikTok account has since been deleted, videos reposted elsewhere on the platform show that she had been sharing intimate details about her supposed experiences with chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Police also discovered that Russo had been taking photos from actual cancer patients’ social media pages and sharing them as her own, according to the complaint.
Advertisement
Russo’s arrest affidavit said she had taken money from over 439 donors, including business, schools, colleges, charities and individuals, raising tens of thousands of dollars by the time of her apprehension.
Outside of social media, Russo gave several interviews about her supposed illness and was a guest speaker for St. Ambrose as well as cancer-focused organizations like the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, Project Purple and the Ohl Foundation, according to the complaint. A spokesperson for the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation told HuffPost that Russo “has zero affiliation” with the group.
In an interview with Iowa’s North Scott Press last fall, Russo claimed she was diagnosed with cancer in February 2022 after experiencing sporadic fevers, bloody stools and random nosebleeds.
“Of course, every day can’t be sunshine and rainbows, but you can’t just choose to be mad at the cancer. It just happens to people,” Russo said at the time. “If you stay depressed, and in a dark space, I feel like your body will never get better.”
She told the outlet that doctors gave her an “11-percent survival rate for five years.”
“I feel like when you deal with cancer, you just never know when it’s going to happen, or what it’s going to do,” Russo said in the interview. “That’s the unfortunate part. I wish everybody could just be cured and you could move on. As for me, I’m just going to ride it out.”
Advertisement
According to the affidavit, police said her medical records showed that she had never been diagnosed with any kind of cancer or tumor.
Russo’s attorney did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The TikToker’s GoFundMe page, where she collected online donations, was taken down in the aftermath of her arrest, WQAD News 8 reported.
In a statement to HuffPost, a spokesperson for GoFundMe said it has “zero tolerance” for misuse of its platform and “takes swift action against those who exploit the generosity” of its community.
“All donors who donated to the fundraiser created on behalf of Madison Russo were fully refunded, and she has been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers,” the spokesperson said.
Russo could face up to 10 years in prison when she’s sentenced at a later date, according to Iowa state law.
Advertisement
Subscribe to our true crime newsletter, Suspicious Circumstances, to get the biggest unsolved mysteries, white collar scandals, and captivating cases delivered straight to your inbox every week. Sign up here.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.