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A former nurse anesthetist in anesthesia at Ohio State University (OSU) was sentenced this week to two years in jail for robbery and other charges for a hoax she committed.
the Columbus Dispatch reports that Tawni Fuller, 34, falsely told her colleagues and her employer that she had metastatic lung cancer and had spent thousands of dollars on her in the form of money, gifts and holidays with pay.
The court ordered Fuller to pay more than $ 47,000 in restitution to the state of Ohio and the victims. In addition to her prison sentence, Fuller was sentenced to three years probation.
At the sentencing hearing, some of Fuller's colleagues from the OSU's anesthesia unit testified, describing the turmoil and pain associated with dealing with the fraudster.
Tina Dalzell recounted that Fuller had attended her husband's funeral after her unexpected death in 2016. Fuller walked back with a walker and sat in the front row.
Later, Fuller told Dalzell that she had had an imminent death experience with her lung cancer and that she had seen Dalzell's husband in the afterlife.
"Only a narcissistic and cruel person could see me experiencing such pain and suffering," said Dalzell. "I am offended and disgusted that she made fun of cancer patients."
Another colleague, Danielle Winch, whose mother died of lung cancer, said that Fuller claimed, as a ploy of sympathy, to have consulted the same doctors at the Cleveland clinic as her mother.
Other colleagues reported visiting Fuller at her home, who was underweight and wearing a headscarf, and took her for massages and pedicures.
In this week's court, Delaware County, Ohio, Judge Everett Krueger, litigator in law, blamed Fuller.
"I have not heard anything like it in all these years," said Krueger, a judge for more than 30 years.
Earlier this year, when Fuller was formally charged with her crimes, prosecutor Carol O. Brien also spoke harshly to the former nurse.
"Ms. Fuller took advantage of her friends, her colleagues, her community and her employer – people who trusted and cared for her," said O. Brien in a WCMH-TV report. "If you've ever known someone who has fought cancer, it's horrible and it's hard to believe that anyone would benefit from the community that way."
The hoax began to collapse in August 2016, when Fuller wrote that she had had a "miraculous" cure. A message said, "The doctors were stunned." Another said, "God answered our prayers".
At the sentencing hearing, Fuller said that mental illness and depression were responsible, and she apologized.
When charges were laid earlier, the Associated Press reported that Fuller had admitted to liking the positive response she had received from her colleagues.
Follow Nick Mulcahy, Senior Medscape Reporter, on Twitter: @MulcahyNick.
To learn more about Medscape Oncology, follow us on Twitter: @ MedscapeOnc.
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