Woman who raked in $250K after faking being cancer-stricken Marine veteran is jailed for six years

A con man who raised more than $250,000 in donations after lying about being a Marine Corps veteran with cancer has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.

Sarah Jane Cavanaugh claimed to have served in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2016, during which time she developed lung cancer due to her exposure to burn pits.

She was so committed to her act that she wore medals she had bought online, attended veterans events, and even asked her teammates at the gym to tie her shoelaces, as she claimed finger injuries related to the war did not let her tie herself up.

On Tuesday, she was jailed for six years and ordered to repay all the money after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, forged military discharge certificates, fraudulent use of military medals and four counts of wire fraud.

Veterans’ groups welcomed the ruling, accusing the 32-year-old of exploiting the “kindness and respect shown to our nation’s deserving veterans.”

Cavanaugh pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, forged military discharge certificates, fraudulent use of military medals and four counts of wire fraud.

Cavanaugh’s web of lies began when she worked as a social worker at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Providence.

She used her position to access records belonging to a Royal Marine with cancer and then forged documents to claim she served in the military before being honorably discharged.

He claimed to have stage IV lung cancer as a result of his exposure to the burned areas.

Cavanaugh even bought a Purple Heart medal and a Bronze Star online and wore them publicly and was made a commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

The Rhode Island native accepted more than $225.00 from the Wounded Warrior Project alone to pay for yoga classes, gym memberships, groceries and physical therapy.

She later claimed she couldn’t afford the insurance deductibles for her cancer treatment, leading a veteran to pay them for her, costing her nearly $600 per month.

The money came from the same veteran whose medical details he had first stolen.

And prosecutors said Cavanaugh managed to get hold of a service dog that was meant to help ease the “trauma” she had allegedly been exposed to in battle.

He also received $18,500 in financial assistance from Code of Support in Virginia for bills and $4,700 from a fundraising website.

His story began to unravel in early 2022 after he applied for funding from the HunterSeven Foundation, which ran a background check on his military services.

Veterans expressed their fury at Cavanaugh’s lies during her trial, as they accused her of taking donations from those who really needed them.

Cavanaugh used his position to access records belonging to a Royal Marine with cancer, then forged documents to claim he served in the military.

Prosecutors said Cavanaugh managed to get hold of a service dog that was meant to help calm the “trauma” she had allegedly been exposed to in battle.

One told the court that he had a friend who took his own life after being denied funding for a program called CreatiVets. Cavanaugh took $15,000 from the plan, according to court documents.

“By brazenly claiming the honor, service and sacrifice of true veterans, this defendant took advantage of the charity and decency of others for her own shameless financial gain,” US Attorney Zachary A. Cunha said after her sentencing.

Meanwhile, Patrick J. Hegarty, a special agent at a Northeast field office, said: “People who falsely present themselves as decorated veterans of the US Armed Forces demean the service of the men and women who selflessly serve our country.

Lisa Woodbury Rama, a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars 152, said his lies had “harmed” us.

Lisa Woodbury Rama, a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars 152, said his lies had “harmed” us.

Cavanaugh’s home in Warwick, Rhode Island is shown. It is said that he used some of the cash he stole on home repairs.

And court documents state that he had suffered “severe trauma during his formative years in high school.”

‘There are things that we are trying to get out and support and… we don’t have that much money, we don’t have that many volunteers. You can’t put a dollar figure on that,’ he said.

Kensely Barrett, Cavanaugh’s attorney, initially sought a lower sentence citing his lack of a criminal record and the embarrassment the case had caused him.

In court, Cavanaugh said that he “will always carry this burden and this shame for what I’ve done.”