HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas - Hidalgo County Sheriff's Investigators have arrested a woman they say used her daughter to defraud people out of money.
According to the department's Facebook page, the investigation started Oct. 22 when Child Protective Services reported to deputies that 46-year-old Juanita Garcia was fraudulently organizing fundraisers for her 7-year-old daughter.
Garcia was allegedly telling people in person and via social media that her daughter was ill with terminal cancer, and she only had months to live. Witnesses reported that the mom would approach them asking for donations to pay for treatments.
Investigators discovered the girl was medically evaluated and no illness was found, however.
ID=77361000During questioning, Garcia admitted that her daughter had never been diagnosed with cancer, and that she had obtained monetary donations from various persons.
On Dec. 9, sheriff's investigators arrested Garcia for Exploitation of a Child, a third degree felony. She was taken before Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace Bobby Contreras where she was formally arraigned and given a $10,000 bond. She was then committed to the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center.
The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office urges the community to verify and confirm information from fundraisers that they choose to participate in.
"In many cases, asking questions and utilizing good common sense approaches can prevent someone from being the target of a fraudulent scheme. Legitimate organizations, groups, or persons who are fundraising will have ways to verify and confirm information about their events," the department stated.
