A Florida man is accused of posing as a woman with breast cancer and defrauding real cancer patients who struggle to pay their bills while undergoing treatment or in remission.
Timothy Barlett, 68, of Deltona, has been arrested for allegedly stealing $5,000 in assistance from at least one Florida nonprofit organization, according to a statement from Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Bartlett is being detained on a $20,500 bond.
"This is our scumbag of the week. I mean, you can't get much lower than this," Chitwood told local Fox affiliate WOFL.
"How low can you go? Money is meant for folks who are trying to beat cancer and can't pay their bills," he added.
The investigation into Bartlett began in April, when Chitwood received an email from a Tampa-based woman who runs a nonprofit that pays living expenses for cancer patients while undergoing treatment.
She explained to the Volusia Sheriff's Office that her organization had been defrauded by a man in Deltona who posed as a cancer patient to receive funds.
Police then determined Bartlett posed as "Sally Holmes," who was out of work and undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Detectives confirmed that Barlett has also run the same scam to defraud four other nonprofits in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, said Mike Chitwood of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
