Pa. woman gets probation for fake cancer claims

WASHINGTON, Pa. — A Pennsylvania woman who submitted nearly $100,000 worth of fake cancer treatment insurance claims for herself and her husband must repay the money while she serves nearly nine years on probation.

The Observer-Reporter of Washington, Pa. (http://bit.ly/AjMmL4 ) says 52-year-old Deborah Brown, of North Strabane, was sentenced Tuesday by a Washington County judge.

Brown pleaded guilty in August to submitting the phony claims from August 2006 through May 2008.

Brown's husband really did have prostate cancer, but didn't receive any of the treatments Brown claimed after surgery cured him in November 2006. Brown was diagnosed with lipoma, a noncancerous condition in 2007, but submitted 29 false claims for liposarcoma — a cancerous condition that affects fatty tissue.

Brown says she's addicted to painkillers but sobered up since her arrest last year and is remorseful.

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Information from: Observer-Reporter, http://www.observer-reporter.com