Former pageant queen to plead not guilty of cancer scam felony charges

A former beauty pageant winner accused of faking cancer and pocketing proceeds from fundraisers intends to plead not guilty and is requesting a trial by jury, according to court documents filed earlier this week.

Brandi Weaver-Gates, 23, of Pleasant Gap, waived her formal arraignment in court Wednesday, and the intent to plead not guilty was included on the waiver paperwork. Weaver-Gates was arrested in August on felony charges of theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

State police began investigating her after troopers got an anonymous tip that she was “faking” having cancer, according to court documents. The person reached out after she called Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, where Weaver-Gates said she was receiving treatment, to make a donation toward Weaver-Gates’ medical bills. The hospital reported that Weaver-Gates was not a patient there.

The tipster reported that Weaver-Gates also told the person that she received treatment at other facilities, including UPMC Altoona and Geisinger Medical Center. When investigators contacted each of the hospitals, employees reported there was no record of Weaver-Gates ever being there, or had been there years ago, before her alleged diagnosis with leukemia in 2013.

Rockview state Trooper Thomas Stock said Wednesday that police haven’t yet determined a total amount raised to cover Weaver-Gates’ medical expenses, but there were four fundraisers held locally to contribute to medical bills. One event, called Bingo for Brandi, raised about $14,000, according to court documents.

Since her arrest, other developments have occurred in Weaver-Gates’ case. A bank account was frozen after prosecutors learned of a conversation between Weaver-Gates and her father after her arrest about gaining a power of attorney to transfer funds from the account or dispose of them, according to court documents.

State police investigators said after her arrest that more charges regarding the fundraisers would likely follow, but it appears she is being investigated for other theft charges. A search warrant filed in the prothonotary’s office indicates that a former roommate told police that Weaver-Gates had stolen money and jewelry from her, and troopers executed the warrant on her home to look for the jewelry.

Weaver-Gates made a public statement through her attorney, Deb Lux, about a week after her arrest. Weaver-Gates apologized and promised to pay the money back, Lux said last month.

Weaver-Gates has been lodged at Centre County Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 since her arrest.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 10:14 PM with the headline "Former pageant queen to plead not guilty of cancer scam felony charges."