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Woman Who Lied About Cancer Sentenced To 90 Days


GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4)- A Highlands Ranch woman who lied about having cancer to collect donations from her friends and her husband's co-workers was sentenced in Jefferson County Court on Thursday morning.

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Ann Crall (credit: Jefferson County Sheriff)

Ann Crall will spend 90 days in jail and will be under intense supervision for 10 years.

In addition to the jail sentence, she will remain in a substance abuse program she has been participating in.

She pleaded guilty in March to charges of charges of felony theft and charitable fraud. She accepted nearly $60,000 to pay for her prescription drug habit.

When Crall claimed she had stage 5 cancer, JJ Beattie wanted to help. Her testimony helped put Crall behind bars.

"She deserved the maximum, 15 years. What she did, faking cancer and making a mockery of 28 million of us living with this disease is horrible and that's not repayable," said Beattie.

Beattie lives with a rare brain tumor. She spearheaded fundraisers for Crall and her family.

"We gave cash on a regular basis when she'd call and say they couldn't make their mortgage. This is despicable and her husband's claim that he didn't know is a lie. There's no way he couldn't have known," said Beattie.

Richard Crall, Ann's husband, is a former Lakewood Police Officer. He was forced to resign his position. Some of his coworkers direct deposited money into Crall's account on an every-other-week basis to help the family.

"In this situation, our organization was the victim of the crime and we feel many of the same feelings victims feel: hurt, betrayal, anger. We wanted some sort of consequences for her actions," said Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta.

During her sentencing, Crall said she told many lies but ultimately her addiction to opiates got the best of her. At one point she turned to the victims inside the courtroom and said, "This is not who I am, who I was, and I'm so, so sorry."

"I don't know about her tears. I think she has remorse. She's done a lot of harm but has a long way to go before she can prove she is a different person," said Paletta.

Crall is ordered to pay restitution to the victims. Her husband offered his retirement of $32,000 to help pay. Crall said she has been sober for more than a year.

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