Photos of Vanessa O”Rourke, wanted on federal charges (FBI).
A Pennsylvania woman allegedly pretended to have cancer and received money from her community that she used for trips abroad.
Vanessa O’Rourke, believed to be in her late 30s, is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after being accused of wire fraud. According to the FBI, O’Rourke has been claiming to have glioblastoma, a kind of terminal brain cancer, and convincing friends, family, and community members to give her money so she could take part in experimental medical treatments in Australia.
However, the FBI said that O’Rourke never had brain cancer — but she did travel to Australia, where she allegedly had a vacation.
The FBI said O’Rourke’s alleged scam goes back to October 2015, when she first told family and friends that she had glioblastoma and needed to raise money so she could undergo “an experimental treatment” in Australia. The alleged ruse went on until July 2016, and O’Rourke did make it to Australia that spring. But the FBI said that while she spent time in Australia in April 2016, “she engaged in a variety of leisure activities and did not receive any medical treatment.”
Authorities said she made a second trip to Australia, during which she again allegedly took a vacation and was not treated for her “nonexistent illness.”
When O’Rourke returned to her home in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, she allegedly convinced people in her community to hold two fundraisers “on her behalf.” According to reporting by local NBC affiliate WGAL, a GoFundMe was started for O’Rourke that raised almost $12,000, donations that came from more than 140 people. A community fundraiser at a local restaurant was also held in person.
O’Rourke was busted in May 2018, when she was charged with 15 federal counts of wire fraud out of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. WGAL reported that authorities believe O’Rourke is out of the country and most likely in Australia.
The FBI is asking anyone with information about O’Rourke to contact one of its field offices or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
