Charges Filed Against Teen Who Claimed To Have Cancer

Charges have been filed against a Horizon City teenager after it was determined that she was not diagnosed with cancer, claims for which she had organized several fundraisers, investigators said.

An investigator with the Horizon Police Department said 18-year-old Ruth Ann Gomez claimed she was diagnosed with leukemia and said she was undergoing treatment before starting the “Achieve the Dream” foundation to raise money for her expenses.

Police subpoenaed the foundation’s bank records. Gomez, who held fundraisers in Horizon City and El Paso, collected a total of $17,000 in cash donations, checks deposited to the foundation’s bank account, gift cards and items bought and sold at fundraisers, police said.

On June 2, police received a complaint that Gomez didn’t show signs of being ill, and an investigation into those allegations began, Detective Liliana Medina of the Horizon Police Department said in a statement.

Medina said there are no other suspects in the case, which was received by District Attorney Jaime Esparza on Friday. Gomez is accused of theft by deception over $15,000, under $20,000, a state felony.