A woman was arrested Friday on fraud charges for allegedly collecting nearly $500,000 from Boston Marathon bombing victims via One Fund Boston, a source told the Boston Globe. She claimed shed suffered a brain injury in the blast.
Audrea Gause, 26, was arrested Friday afternoon at her home in Troy, N.Y., reported NECN.
One Fund Boston is a charity set up for Boston Marathon victims.
Investigators found the woman lied about suffering a brain injury in the twin explosions near the finish line of the marathon three months ago.
She had false documentation that she was admitted to Boston Hospital.
“We allege that this defendant defrauded The One Fund Boston of $480,000,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement obtained by the Globe. “By doing this, she was stealing money from the real victims of the Marathon bombing, and from the people who gave so generously to help them.”
Earlier this month, Boston Magazine reported that a Boston man was arrested after he submitted a claim to One Fund to get more than $2 million from the charity.
Branden Mattier, 22, of the South End, was arrested at his home in early July.
“It is terrible to think that people would compound the Marathon tragedy by stealing money from survivors, but I am grateful we have such excellent partners in the Attorney General, in law enforcement, in the One Fund, and in a watchful public,” said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino regarding cases of fraud linked to the bombing charity, according to NECN.
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