Chester County woman accused of faking cancer also pretended to be Delaware officer: Officials

CHESTER SPRINGS, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Chester County, Pennsylvania woman accused of faking cancer and scamming people out of thousands of dollars on GoFundMe is also facing charges for pretending to be a police officer.

Authorities say 31-year-old Jessica Ann Smith of Chester Springs, using her maiden name of Cornell, created a GoFundMe and Facebook page for herself claiming she had a severe case of colon cancer.

Feeling sorry for her, authorities say people donated over $10,000 to help.

Woman accused of faking cancer, collecting over $10,000 in donations. Dann Cuellar has more on Action News at 10 p.m. on November 4, 2019.

"She made people believe that she had a very serious cancer diagnosis. The fact is she didn't have it. She lied about that," said Acting Chester County District Attorney Mike Noone.

On Tuesday, authorities in Delaware confirm Smith also has identity theft and criminal impersonation of a law enforcement officer charges pending against her, according to Wilmington police.

In connection with the alleged GoFundMe scam, Smith is facing charges of theft by deception, and other theft charges. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance.

She has a preliminary hearing set for November 12.