Hamilton woman who faked cancer gets 2 years after pleading guilty to fraud

HAMILTON — A 33-year-old Hamilton woman who faked having cancer has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding a provincial program.

Lawyer Cole Raftery says Sarah Lucas pleaded guilty Wednesday to fraud over $5,000, identity theft and uttering a forged document.

Hamilton police charged Lucas in November 2015 after investigating discrepancies in claims filed to the Ontario Disability Support Program.

Police said Lucas submitted claims for cancer treatments, as well as for residency in a hotel while she was supposed to be receiving medical attention.

Raftery says the total amount of the fraud was $219,000, adding that none of the money has been recovered.

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Raftery says his client has been “really, really sorry” throughout the case and is “embarrassed and ashamed.”

“She went to the gallows with grace and knows she has to pay the price for what she did,” he said of her guilty plea, adding that the reason for the fraud was not explained in court.

“She’s the kind of person, if you were to meet her, you would say she’s more to be pitied than reviled,” Raftery said. “I feel awful for her.”

The Canadian Press