Woman Accused in Charity Scam for S.C. Paramedic
Unbeknownst to the medic, the woman went on TV saying she was collecting donations for him.
When Paramedic Kevin Jenkins talked about needing money for heart surgery, little did he know that people in South Carolina, and possibly elsewhere, were already donating.
He told WSPA reporters that he had no idea that a woman he didn't know had established a website, and gone on a local TV show to raise money, allegedly for his medical expenses.
Teresa Strickland is now charged with fundraising under false pretenses.
During a recent interview with a reporter, Strickland asked for donations saying: "EMS workers that help us all the time but one of them is having surgery at Duke university for his heart and nobody to help him."
She explained a poker run saying: "all the proceeds from that, all the money is going to go to help the EMS worker. His family needs help really bad."
Jenkins was not aware of any of it, and when he learned, he called police.
Authorities said Strickland received one donation of $400 in cash, and told them she spent half of the money on school supplies for needy children in Inman, a cause she always intended to support.
After the probe, Jenkins told a reporter: "It's hard for people to give and when you find someone who wants to give, you know, that's a blessing..."
