TikToker Madison Russo fined $39,000 but avoids jail for fake cancer scam

TikToker Madison Russo has been fined $39,000, but avoided jail time following an elaborate scam where she faked having cancer as a way to get money from viewers.

Back in February 2023, Madison Russo was arrested and charged with first-degree theft after allegedly scamming $37,000 in donations from viewers on TikTok.

To do so, she told users that she had Stage 2 pancreatic cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She used GoFundMe to collect the donations.

Russo was sentenced on October 20, 2023, and was fined $39,000 – but was able to avoid jail time.

TikToker who faked cancer in donation scam fined $39K

WQAD News 8 uploaded the judge’s entire sentencing to their YouTube channel just a day after the trial ended for all to watch.

In the video, Scott County Judge John Telleen detailed that Madison Russo had admitted to using other patients’ stories as her own, slamming her for engaging in the “lengthy course of deceit.”

The judge said: “Through this scheme, you deceived your friends, your family, your community, other cancer victims, charities and strangers who were motivated by your supposedly tragic story to donate to help support you.”

Madison Russo also made a comment during the sentencing, explaining why she decided to do the year-long scam in the first place.

“A lot of people have made speculation as to why I did this and how somebody who looked like they had everything together could have such a mess,” she said. “I didn’t do this for money or greed. I didn’t do this for attention. I did this as an attempt to get my family back together.”

“I fully acknowledge what I did was wrong. And I’m incredibly sorry,” Russo added. “If there was anything I could do to take it back, I would. The reality is, I can’t.”

The TikToker’s sentence includes 100 hours of community service, and her $39,000 fine has been paid.

For more news and other viral stories, head over to check out our coverage.