LI Woman Faked Cancer to Fund Drug Addiction

John Mitty Thursday, December 12, 2013

A Long Island woman named Brittany Ozarowski, 21, plead guilty in court on Wednesday to all charges, and admitted that she faked cancer in order to raise money from Long Island businesses to fund her heroin addiction.  She was indicted on 24 different charges in Suffolk County, including grand larceny, scheme to defraud, and forgery. 

Ozarowski is from Miller Place, and persuaded business owners throughout the area to allow her to place collecting bins in their places of business.  She collected money from customers through the bins, supposedly for the purpose of treating her cancer.  Ozarowski claimed to suffer from multiple types of cancer, including cancer of the bone, cancer of the brain, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer, and cancer of the thyroid.  The scam worked for some time, but started to fall apart when donors became interested in her case and offered to provide further assistance with doctor’s appointments.  They also were curious why she hadn’t lost her hair, despite supposedly being in chemotherapy.  Now that she has been sentenced, she faces up to seven years in prison, and will also undergo a drug treatment plan for up to two years.  At the end of her prison sentence, she will have to pay back $10,000 in restitution to her victims, and will face an additional two years on probation.  

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

Appears In: Business News

 

 

• Business News
• Education
• Entertainment
• Jobs & Careers
• Local Events
• Local Steals, Deals & More
• Press Releases
• Restaurants & Food
• Sports & Recreation

Columnists John M.   Show all Columnists