SAN JOSE, CA – A California woman who feigned having cancer for nearly a decade to swindle more than $100,000 in donations and support has been sentenced to five years in prison. Amanda Riley’s calculated deception unfurled over social media and through her blog, with claims of battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma while in reality, she was never diagnosed with any form of cancer.
Amanda Riley, born Amanda Maneri, launched her fictitious cancer journey in 2012, convincing friends, family, and strangers to finance her supposedly overwhelming medical expenses. Under the guise of urgently needing funds, she solicited donations through her blog, “Lymphoma Can Suck It,” and spread the word via social media platforms. Her posts meticulously detailed bouts of remission, relapse, and treatments that never happened.
The façade crumbled following an investigation spurred by an anonymous tip in mid-2015, which eventually led to her prosecution for wire fraud. Amanda’s deceit, which amassed a following of unsuspecting supporters, was outlined in a podcast titled “Scamanda,” and its subsequent documentary adaptation. Felt betrayed, her followers expressed disbelief at the lengths Amanda went to present herself as a cancer survivor, even manipulating appearances to mimic the side effects of chemotherapy.
The evidence against Amanda was damning. She forged medical records, fabricated letters from doctors, and used an app that allowed her to self-populate supposed health conditions. Her physical ailments, including wearing a bald scalp in photos to simulate chemotherapy hair loss, served to legitimize her ruse. Expert observers pinpointed inconsistencies in her story, with allegations of participating in non-existent clinical trials and receiving treatments that seemed implausible.
Amanda’s husband, Cory Riley, who married her after divorcing his first wife Aletta, remains uncharged despite speculation about his possible complicity in the scam. Both have maintained residence in Texas, with Cory taking care of their two sons following Amanda’s conviction. Throughout her trial, Cory stood by Amanda, though their daughter from Cory’s previous marriage, Jessa, alleges awareness of Amanda’s deceit, describing her father as emotionally absent during the ordeal.
In court, Amanda offered remorse for her actions, lamenting the impact of her deception on her family and her once-admired status within the community. Yet, Judge Beth Labson Freeman remained steadfast, fulfilling a sentence of five years in prison and ordering Amanda to repay the 349 individuals she defrauded.
Amanda began serving her time at a federal medical center in Fort Worth, Texas, with recent motions for a reduced sentence due to newly diagnosed mental health issues being denied. Reports from the San Francisco Chronicle suggest continued manipulation, indicating Amanda exhibited behavior aligned with Munchausen syndrome during her incarceration.
As legal proceedings unfold, many questions persist regarding the depth of knowledge held by those closest to Amanda and the extent of their involvement in her elaborate hoax.
