Amanda Riley, who faked having cancer to defraud her community, continues to serve her five-year prison sentence after due process exposed her elaborate scam. The case, which gained massive attention through the 2023 podcast Scamanda, reveals how Riley managed to collect over $100,000 from unsuspecting donors between 2012 and 2019.
Riley was initially seen as a devoted wife, mother, and active member of her church community. Through her blog, Lymphoma Can Suck It, she shared tales of her supposed battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, purportedly claiming her illness was terminal. Fellow community members rallied to support her, unaware they were being deceived. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she accumulated $106,272 from more than 400 donations, which raised eyebrows among some of her acquaintances.
Lisa Berry, one former friend, emerged as the whistleblower, tipping off investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello about her suspicions of Riley's story. Berry revealed, "I knew from the moment she told me about her diagnosis- it just didn’t add up!" After the investigation led by the Internal Revenue Service and the San Jose Police Department, Riley was charged with wire fraud.
After her guilty plea in 2021, Riley explicitly admitted, “I devised and executed a plan to obtain money from donors by falsely claiming I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.” Despite the earlier support she received, scrutiny mounted following repeated medical claims and her complicated narrative, which included dubious claims like "the pregnancy is reversing the cancer" made to her community.
Her co-conspirator was never charged, raising questions about whether her husband Cory was aware of the scheme. The couple, who had two children together, lived much of this time under the lens of public compassion, with Cory even referring to Amanda's supposed diagnosis during custody disputes with his ex-wife. Friend Charlie Webster stated, "I think it was never about the money. It appears to be more about validation and attention, which seemed addictive for Amanda." This psychological dimension may explain her willingness to manipulate her loved ones, even telling her own children terrifying tales about her illness.
After her charges were validated, Amanda was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Judge Beth Labson Freeman remarked, "The defendant's history of feigning illness for personal gain raises serious questions about her credibility" when denying her early release after medical issues surfaced during her incarceration.
Documents on record reveal she took numerous trips to the emergency room, with medical staff expressing skepticism about her reported ailments; some believed she potentially suffers from Munchausen syndrome. While she had initially raised funds through incriminatory means, she remains incarcerated at FMC Carswell, Fort Worth, Texas, with her release currently set for December 2025, having paid negligible restitution of $800 against the ordered $105,513.
The ripple effects of Amanda Riley’s saga extend beyond her imprisonment; her husband Cory now resides with their children in Texas following their move from California. He has not been charged with any crime and is said to monitor the children after Amanda's tumultuous public exposure.
Meanwhile, community members and victims still grapple with the emotional fallout of her deception, many expressing sentiments of betrayal and anger. Amanda’s story serves not just as cautionary but also reveals the intricacies of trust and the fragile interactions within communities dedicated to helping one another. The upcoming Scamanda docuseries continues to shed light on this disturbing but enthralling tale of deception.
Amanda's continued claims of medical issues have not ceased since her incarceration, illustrating her persistent need for attention and sympathy. A judge who assessed her situation articulated concerns for public safety, stating, "I find the public to be at significant risk from you.” Whether any genuine reform or realization will emerge from Amanda's experience remains to be seen.