Fake Cancer Scheme Leads to Guilty Plea for Delran Woman

A Delran woman who bilked supporters out of tens of thousands of dollars by faking terminal cancer admitted her scheme in court Monday.

Lori Stilley, 41, of Suburban Boulevard, fooled both friends and strangers with her tales of advanced bladder cancer. She even engineered a wedding, financed by donations, by telling friends she wanted to marry her boyfriend before she died.

But her sudden “miracle cure” just as she was supposedly about to enter hospice brought the whole scheme crashing down. Stilley's sister turned her in.

Stilley pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by deception for accepting the charitable donations under the guise that she was dying from cancer, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi announced Monday.

Stilley, a mother of two, will be on probation for four years and must pay $15,000-$20,000 in restitution, according to plea agreement terms. She also must undergo a psychiatric evaluation, perform 100 hours of community service and relinquish her right to appeal the conviction. Stilley will be formally sentenced on July 26.

The cancer scheme started in February 2011, when Stilley announced to family and friends, and on Facebook, that she had Stage III bladder cancer and would need chemotherapy and radiation.

Stilley advanced her fake cancer to Stage IV in April of that year, and told her supporters she didn’t have health insurance or money for treatment. Friends and family rallied around her, launching fundraiser efforts that included a T-shirt sale and banquet, which raised $8,000, and another event and cash raffle that brought in $1,000.

Stilley even authored an e-book, I’Mpossible: How a Facebook Group Loved Me Through Bladder Cancer, that outlined her struggles coping with cancer. She posted that for sale online in October 2011 for $14.99, and reached $3,000 in sales.

Then came the real wedding based on a false premise—when Stilley told her friends she wanted to marry her boyfriend before her death, they planned her a wedding that took place nine days later at Moorestown Community House. Supporters negotiated the venue down to $500 and picked up the tab. Stilley received gift cards for more than $1,600.

During all of this, prosecutors say, Stilley received meals organized by a network of friends and family. People wore bright orange T-shirts in her honor. Someone even flew an airplane banner reading "I love you always Lori Stilley."

In November 2011, Stilley told people she was entering hospice care. Then came the message that she felt better and “believed that a miracle was coming,” Burlington County prosecutors say.

Suspicions from erstwhile supporters launched the investigation that brought Stilley’s lies to light. She was arrested in September 2012.

Her $25,000 bail will remain in place until she’s sentenced in July.

Anyone who feels victimized by Stilley and wants to pursue restitution should contact the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-265-5035.