A woman in Texas has been sentenced to probation after faking a stage 4 cancer diagnosis to collect money on GoFundMe. Emily Joyce Hinojosa, a 38-year-old married mother of three, pleaded guilty to two felony theft charges for the scam she pulled off back in 2020.
Here’s what happened: Hinojosa claimed she had been battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer for nine years, saying it had spread throughout her body. A friend of hers, Natalie Nelson, set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Hinojosa’s supposed medical expenses, which she said were huge even with insurance. The campaign pulled in $7,085 from generous donors. But as it turns out, Hinojosa wasn’t nearly as sick as she claimed.
Fast forward to July 2023, when things started unraveling. According to an arrest affidavit, someone involved in organizing the fundraiser began questioning whether Hinojosa’s story matched her actual health condition. Investigators looked into four doctors she claimed were treating her.
Three of them had never even heard of her. The fourth doctor did have records showing she had been diagnosed with cancer in 2014, but by May 2021, she was 75% in remission. There was no evidence to support her claims of having stage 4 cancer between July and November 2020, the time when she was actively collecting money.
Hinojosa later admitted to police that she had lied about her health. She said she has a habit of making up stories about her medical issues to gain sympathy and make people like her more.
Her punishment? Hinojosa received five years of felony probation and was ordered to repay all 64 donors who had contributed to her fraudulent GoFundMe campaign.
The fake fundraiser, which is no longer active but still visible online, was a stark reminder of how important it is to verify claims before donating. Many of Hinojosa’s supporters had given from the heart, believing they were helping someone in dire need. Now, they’ll get their money back, but the trust that was broken will take much longer to mend.
