Beauty Queen Faked Cancer: 23-Year-Old Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates Jailed, Facing Serious Charges


A beauty queen faked cancer and took up donations for the made up disease, and now she’s facing serious charges for her alleged actions.

According to ABC News, 23-year-old Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates has been jailed after tricking people into thinking that she was suffering from leukemia. She reportedly held a fundraiser, and collected about $14,000 in April, but there are no medical records indicating that she was ever diagnosed.

The Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International pageant winner has been charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property. Anyone who felt duped or cheated by Weaver-Gates and donated money to her alleged made-up cause is asked to contact authorities.

The beauty queen who faked cancer is being stripped of her title in addition to being charged. On Tuesday, Butler’s Beauties — a sponsor of the Miss Pennsylvania pageant, released a statement on Facebook announcing their decision to terminate their relationship with Weaver-Gates. The title of Miss Pennsylvania 2015 is currently vacant.

“We at Butler’s Beauties are saddened to hear of the news of Miss Brandy Weaver-Gates. We were also led to believe that she was dealing with this horrible disease and stood by her as she struggled being a beauty queen and a cancer patient.”

“Butler’s Beauties believes that with a crown and sash you can accomplish many great things as a role model, spokesmodel and community leader as a beauty pageant queen. When you deceive the public and take people’s money that is under the pretense of fraud, we will not tolerate those actions. Our hearts go out to those affected by cancer and to those who were taken advantage of by Miss Weaver-Gates.”

“Effectively immediately, Ms. Weaver-Gates is no longer a representative of the Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International organization and will be required to return her crown and sash upon her release from being detained.”

A preliminary hearing for Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates is scheduled for Aug. 19.

The beauty queen who faked cancer wasn’t the first person to ever fake being diagnosed with the disease in order to make some money. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, a 25-year-old from California was facing similar charges after she raised money for a diagnosis that she never received. Meaghan Hudson was charged with grand theft and theft by deception back in April. She had raised about $7,000 in her scheme.

In May, Hudson sat down for an interview with Dr. Phil, and revealed that she made up the story for attention. According to Mail Online, she has been living with a friend while awaiting her trial. Her family has since stopped speaking to her.

[Photo via Facebook]

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