Authorities have been unable to find Melanie Chen since she failed to show up for the couple's arraignment March 2. A warrant has been issued for her arrest. Phylip Chen pleaded not guilty to the charges and was allowed to return to his children at their Columbus residence, Yost said.
The prosecutor said the couple solicited money by making direct pleas to friends and family in California, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio from July 2005 to August 2008.
"You know, people are kindhearted. When you think that somebody you care about is ill, it's not like going to court where you want to see proof," Yost said. "You trust your family to tell you the truth."
Relatives contacted authorities after they grew suspicious and the couple were unable to produce documentation of Phylip Chen's medical treatment.
"It was face-to-face networking kinds of stuff," Yost said. "There was no softball benefit or those kinds of things."
Messages left at the Chen home and with Phylip Chen's lawyer were not immediately returned. Yost did not know whether Melanie Chen had a lawyer.
Phylip Chen told The Columbus Dispatch that he knew nothing of the scam and called his wife a pathological liar. He said he was not close to his parents and believes they were duped into believing he was ill.
"For three years, they made no attempts to contact me," he said. "Why didn't they barge in and find out how sick I was?"
Chen told the Dispatch that none of the other donors tried to contact him about his health. He said he received a text message from his wife Monday but didn't know where she was.
Get Action News on your website
