A Pennsylvania beauty queen is
facing felony charges for deceiving the public about her medical status and
allegedly raising funds from donors who believed her of having cancer.
Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, a
23-year-old reigning Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International, was arrested on Tuesday,
August 11 and charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property, NBC affiliate WJAC reported. Her bond was set at
$150,000, and she remains jailed at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
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| Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates |
According to the Pennsylvania State
Police, they began looking into the case after receiving an anonymous letter. Also
said, the accused advised that she did not want to incriminate herself and
invoked her right to an attorney when she was confronted with what the
investigation revealed
Weaver-Gates allegedly carried out
her "elaborate scheme" over the course of two years — going as far as
shaving her head and having family members drive her to Johns Hopkins Hospital
in Baltimore to get treatment.
She also held fundraisers in attempt
to swindle money, police said. Police said one event in April — called
"Bingo for Brandi" — apparently raised $14,000.
"It speaks to how great our
community is," Weaver-Gates later told The Centre County Gazette. "They wanted
to come and support someone who is going through a hard time in their
life."
Weaver-Gates claimed she was first
diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in March 2013, according to the Centre Daily Times.
"I didn't know how to tell my
family and even though they were there through it all, it still feels like
(you're) battling it alone because they don't understand," she told the
newspaper in an interview last year.
Upon her arrest on Tuesday, Butler's
Beauties, the organizers of Miss Pennsylvania U.S. International, said that they, too, believe they were duped that she has been stripped of her title in a statement as below
“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," the
statement said. "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.
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