Hulu’s Scamanda – The True Story of Amanda Riley

Key Takeaways

• Scamanda, a true-crime series, reveals how Amanda faked cancer for 8 years deceiving her community.
• IRS gets involved in the case leading to Amanda’s trial, where she pleads guilty to numerous charges.
• Amanda Riley is sentenced to 5 years in prison for a scheme that scammed 349 people of over $100,000.

As a seasoned detective with a personal connection to this case, having lost my own sister to cancer, I must say that unmasking Scamanda was a true-crime masterpiece. The community rallied around Amanda Riley during her fabricated battle against cancer, and it’s heartbreaking to see how she exploited their generosity for monetary gain.

Starting next Wednesday, October 9, 2024, prepare for the gripping true crime event, titled Scamanda. This ABC Studios Original will unfold over four episodes, with the final episode airing on October 30. Each installment will be available on Hulu the day after its television premiere. Based on the Lionsgate podcast of the same name, this series delves into the deceptions and swindles perpetrated by a woman from California named Amanda Riley.

In May 2023, a podcast emerged with five episodes, later turned into a documentary series. Investigative journalist Nancy Moscatiello unraveled the mystery surrounding Amanda Riley’s fraudulent cancer claims, which spanned over eight years. The series not only delves into Riley’s deception but also provides a platform for her victims to share their personal tales of being misled.

Scamanda Is The True Story Of Amanda Riley Who Faked Cancer For Over Eight Years In Order To Obtain Donations

In 2012, Amanda Riley, a deeply religious mother and respected community figure, publicly shared her diagnosis of Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in a popular blog titled “Lymphoma Can Suck It.” This blog garnered widespread attention, from her local community to international celebrities. As a result, she received numerous generous trips, gifts, and funds for her treatment. Later, she announced that she was cancer-free, a news that was warmly celebrated in her community. She became a symbol of divine power, delivering sermons at her church. Regrettably, Amanda’s remission didn’t hold for long. She revealed on her blog that her cancer had returned and she was expecting a child.

In a heartwarming turn of events, Amanda’s community rallied around her, organizing fundraisers for her supposed treatments. However, all hopes were shattered when an investigative journalist named Nancy Mosciatello received an anonymous tip suggesting that Amanda’s ‘cancer’ was a fabrication. Shockingly, Amanda had never been ill, and had deceived everyone for financial gain. The gripping tale of this deceit is brilliantly portrayed in the true-crime series titled “Scamanda”, which includes interviews with church members, former friends, community members, and Mosciatello herself. Amanda’s friends share the lies she concocted to uphold her story, and the series features footage from Amanda’s sermons, interviews, and social media videos.

Moscatiello’s sister tragically lost her life due to cancer, which made this matter extremely significant to Moscatiello. To disprove Riley’s claims, she extensively investigated by contacting all the hospitals and clinics Riley alleged to have been treated at, scrutinizing photos of Riley’s treatment posted on her blog. She then presented her findings to Jose Martinez, a former financial crimes detective, who subsequently handed the case over to the IRS. The IRS took up the investigation, ultimately leading to Riley being charged in July 2020.

Amanda C. Riley’s Charges, Explained

• Financial crimes associated with “a scheme to solicit donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she never needed nor received,” according to the DOJ.
• Riley violated Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, preventing anyone from “obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice.”

Where Is Amanda Riley Now?

During the court proceedings, it became clear that Riley had gone to great lengths to deceive people by feigning cancer. This included balding her head to resemble someone undergoing chemotherapy, fabricating documents and medical records, and even taking numerous photos to chronicle her fictitious cancer journey.

Amanda Riley Trial At A Glance

• In May 2022, Riley pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
• She was ordered to pay back a total of $105,513.
• She was sentenced to five years in prison.
• The case made IRS history for being the first financial conviction of someone who faked cancer for fundraising purposes.
• Riley conned a total of 349 people into donating money to her over the course of eight long years.

The prosecutors in the case said the following after the verdict was reached:

At the moment, Amanda Riley is being held at FMC Carswell, a federal institution in Fort Worth, Texas that focuses on accommodating prisoners with both mental and physical health concerns. There are allegations that Riley is suffering from Munchausen’s syndrome, as reported by prosecutors, and they claim she has been falsifying symptoms and test results to give the impression of severe health issues within the prison. It seems that while she does appear to have an illness, it appears to be more related to her mental well-being rather than physical ailments.

Read More

• ENA PREDICTION. ENA cryptocurrency
• SOL PREDICTION. SOL cryptocurrency
• USD PHP PREDICTION
• BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
• SHIB PREDICTION. SHIB cryptocurrency
• LUNC PREDICTION. LUNC cryptocurrency
• Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare – Where To Find Sasquatch
• USD COP PREDICTION
• USD ZAR PREDICTION
• TARA/USD

2024-10-09 03:03