Coco Berthmann 28, was formally charged with communications fraud, a second-degree felony in Utah’s 3rd District Court today. Prosecutors alleged that Berthmann faked a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, and her roommate established a GoFundMe account to help Berthmann mitigate treatment costs. Instead Berthmann took the money and placed it in her own bank account.
Professional human trafficking victim known to suffer from occasional bouts of cancer was formally charged with communications fraud, a second-degree felony in Utah’s 3rd District Court.
According to charging documents, Berthmann was charged under Utah Code Ann. 76-3-203, 76-3-301, stating that “Theft of property or services worth $5,000 or more is a second-degree felony”.
According to a Utah defense attorney we consulted, a second-degree felony conviction can result in an indefinite prison term from one to 15 years and carries a fine of up to $10,000.
She wanted to make one thing clear, “Her case is unique because she is not an American citizen, so this can go a number of ways”.
KSL is the media agency in Utah to report on the arrest-
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman and advocate for human rights and fighting human trafficking was charged Tuesday with faking a cancer diagnosis and collecting thousands of dollars in donations for medical expenses.
Coco Berthmann, 28, of South Jordan, is charged in 3rd District Court with communications fraud, a second-degree felony.
The investigation began in February when police received a tip about a suspicious GoFundMe campaign. The page stated that Berthmann “was recently diagnosed with stage 3 mantle cell lymphoma cancer” and the goal was to raise $100,000 for medical expenses, according to charging documents.
South Jordan police were tipped off to the fundraising campaign by one of Berthmann’s former roommates who said that while she lived with her, “she claimed to have numerous health issues that miraculously were cured,” the charges state.
When Berthmann was arrested in February, a police booking affidavit noted that investigators were told that Berthmann “has been a habitual liar throughout the years, claiming Coco’s mother was sending people to the United States to kill her, she had had a stage 4 cancer which was miraculously cured, and she had been raped on many occasions.”
American Crime Journal was in the process of doing a follow up on the Berthmann case, potentially including additional victims of fraud and deception by Coco Berthmann when news of her arrest broke.
We will report more details as they become available.
