This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Cache County woman who allegedly faked brain cancer to defraud people was charged with another count of forgery and will be held in jail without bail for the time being.
Lesley Elizabeth Jensen, 26, made her first court appearance Thursday afternoon, via a video monitor from the Cache County Jail. Prosecutors objected to Jensen's release, because they feel she might be a flight risk and are concerned for her safety, according to court documents.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, and she will be held without bail until then. Her attorney, Greg Skordas, said he intends to revisit the bail issue.
The Nibley woman is charged in 1st District Court with five counts of second-degree felony communications fraud and five counts of third-degree felony forgery. Though originally charged with nine crimes, prosecutors filed an additional forgery charge Wednesday.
Jensen allegedly claimed she suffered from advance stage Glioblastoma brain cancer, according to authorities, and she allegedly created altered or forged documents to support her claim.
A news release from Logan police did not explain the details of Jensen's alleged scam, but charging documents allege that Jensen received more than $5,000 in money or property.
Logan police Capt. Tyson Budge said detectives are still trying to determine how much money she collected, though he declined to say what their current estimate was when the original nine charges were filed against her on Dec. 4. The captain urged anyone who thinks they were a victim to contact their investigators at fraud@loganutah.org.
"A lot of the fundraising was done here in Logan," including a large fundraiser at her former workplace, Cafe Sabor, Budge said.
He added that Jensen also received donations from out-of-state organizations, including nonprofits, though he could not disclose which.
In late November, the Cache County Attorney's Office received information "that called into question the legitimacy of medical claims of the diagnosis of cancer," according to a police news release.
The day before charges were filed, Jensen's family grew concerned after they hadn't heard from her in several hours. Cache County deputies began a search, and eventually found Jensen unresponsive in her vehicle at the Avon Liberty Divide, a remote mountainous area on the south end of Cache Valley. A court document described it as an alleged suicide attempt.
Jensen was taken to Logan Regional Hospital, and arrested Wednesday upon her release.
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