DELAWARE, OH (WSYX/CNN) – A former nurse in Ohio faces criminal charges for allegedly faking having cancer to get sick time off and to rake in donations from her co-workers.
Tawni Fuller, 33, was indicted on charges of theft, fraud and forgery for ripping off friends and the state of Ohio.
In 2016, the nurse anesthetist, who worked at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, told friends she was suffering from lung cancer.
Her friends donated sick days, vacation hours, cash and gift cards.
But it was all a lie, and Fuller was never sick.
"What is the most heartbreaking is the damage she has done to the victims of cancer," said Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien.
The prosecutor says the case defies belief.
"If you've ever lived with someone who has gone through cancer and not survived, it's horrifying. And to take advantage of people's good natures and charities, it’s just hard to believe,” she said.
Fuller admitted to the offenses to the state nursing board and resigned in lieu of being fired.
At the time, the nursing board allowed her to keep her license, but if she’s convicted of felony charges, she could lose that license.
Fuller told the nursing board she blamed depression for the ruse, saying she got such a positive response from co-workers when she first told the lie that she kept up the act.
Copyright 2018 WSYX, State of Ohio Board of Nursing via CNN. All rights reserved.
