Christian Blogger Mom Amanda Riley, who scammed thousands with fake cancer history is back in the limelight

On By Littum

When a young, ecclesiastical mother announced in 2012 that she had phase 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, family and friends in San Jose, California, lovingly stepped up to help her weather the devastating diagnosis.

Amanda C. Riley’s brother started raising money online for her and calling her sister “a sunbeam in our entire lives.”

“Although we cannot control cancer, or the daily toll, this fight will have about Amanda … We can help place he created, Supportamanda.com. “Open your hearts and help Amanda and her family through this difficult time. No donation is too small; Even $ 5 a month can make a difference. ”

Amanda also went to the Internet to help treat her diagnosis, share news and updates about her struggle to live on a blog titled, Lymphoma can suck that.

Scamanda, a four -part documental, released Thursday night at ABC and streaming Fridays at Hulu

Scamanda, a four -part documental, released Thursday night at ABC and streaming Fridays at Hulu (Courtesy ABC?

“When I drive on a plane, I tend to fool people out carrying a mask or watching half dead, so I try to break the ice cream that ever (sic) sits with me,” she said in a post. “I was immediately tied to the lovely lady next to me, whom I quickly found out was in the last 6 months of her medical school stay… When she left the plane, she gave me a slightly folded piece of paper and wished me a Merry Christmas. When I went off the plane I opened it (curious about what this perfect stranger just gave me … a phone number? Facebook -link?). It was an empty check for $ 1300. What!? “

Over the next several years, Amanda’s situation brought in more than $ 100,000 in donations from hundreds of people and inspired thousands more, including country music star Leann Rimes, who invited the brave cancer patient to a meeting and greeting and gave her an autographed guitar.

But what none of them knew at the time was that Amanda did not actually have cancer.

The Bisarre Narrative is the subject of ScamandaA new four -part documents that are released Thursdays at ABC and streaming Fridays at Hulu. The first episode sent January 30 contained an ex-friend to Amandas, whose first suspicion led to her possible downfall and a five-year sentence in federal prison.

Whistleblower revealed her identity for the first time in the premiere episode, after appearing, without being named, on the podcast that inspired TV production and said to the viewers, “My name is Lisa Berry and I am the anonymous source. It’s time. I’m proud of it. I am proud that I am the anonymous source. “

In June 2015, about three years in Amanda’s fake cancer journey, Berry contacted the investigative journalist Nancy Moscatiello with a mysterious tip. Something didn’t really work about Amanda’s story, she told Moscatiello, who started revealing different details that didn’t seem to add. She brought these clues to a local police -detective, fraudulent Jose Martinez, who then launched his own probe.

Study journalist Nancy Moscatiello during the admission of

Study journalist Nancy Moscatiello during the shooting of “Scamanda” (Courtesy ABC?

Martinez connected some important dots, such as calling certain hospitals where Amanda said her doctors were working and finding out that there was no one by that name. Since Amanda’s alleged activities span several states and brought cash and gifts from all over the United States, Martinez called in FedS, and IRS Special Agent Arlette Lyons joined the probe. All the time, Amanda continued to send, desperate after keeping the lie alive.

The entire card house finally came down in 2019, and Amanda was arrested due to federal fees. In court it turned out that it Her deception went beyond What someone used to know: forged medical items, forged doctors’ letters and threats of litigation lobbed over anyone who doubted her story.

“(S) He published photos of medicine, photos of himself in hospitals and photos of himself allegedly having some side effects of chemotherapy,” Said prosecutors in a statement After Amanda’s October 2021 guilty pleasing. “Riley added captions to photos with false statements that claimed she took cancer drugs and received cancer treatment. She even shaved her head to make it look like she had lost her hair as a result of chemotherapy. “

Now 39, Amanda is more than halfway through her 60-month judgment. In its first 18 months behind pillars, Amanda has, according to judicial files, been rushed to the hospital by ambulance at least two dozen times. But the doctors said that the symptoms she claimed to have joints continued to be products of her own creation, holding her breath to influence the results of an oxygen saturation test, “stress) her body to create tachycardia,” and disturb a medical Infusion unit he was connected to, in an attempt to manipulate the readings.

In Section 1 of ScamandaMartinez, who is now retired, calls Amanda “dishonest” and “smart enough … to (take it) to another level.”

“Because she’s an actor,” Martinez says in the show. “She’s in that character 24/7.”

Of the $ 105,513 in the refund, Amanda was ordered to reimburse the ones she scammed she has paid less than $ 1,000 so far, the Court Register shows. She is currently at a so -called housing center center in Long Beach, California, according to the Bureau of Prisons, with an expected release date on December 4, 2025.