Danielle Kunkel as seen in a Facebook photo. The image was featured in a Newtown Advance article on her cancer fundraiser.
Credit: Facebook
A woman who misled her local community into believing she had terminal cancer will now have to pay restitution to charitable organizations that provide medical care to suffering patients.
A civil settlement was reached against Danielle Kunkel, of Newtown, this week.
Kunkel, according to Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s office, was the intended beneficiary of $36,665 in charitable donations, all of which was raised by family and friends to pay for treatment of an aggressive form of terminal cancer that Kunkel never had.
“Our investigation showed this woman misled her family and friends, which resulted in their seeking donations for her benefit through the generosity of others,” said Attorney General Kane. “This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable. The settlement reached in this case will serve as a strong deterrent to prevent this conduct from occurring again in the future.”
According to the settlement, Kunkel represented to her family and friends that she was diagnosed with “Stage IV Metastatic Lymphoma, B Cell, Type E,” an aggressive form of cancer. She told the community that she was facing more than $1 million in medical expenses and even planned to travel to Germany for treatment. After returning home from her alleged treatment, Kunkel claimed to have made a full recovery and continued to misrepresent that she had been terminally ill.
The settlement alleges that Kunkel, who was the intended beneficiary of the Danielle Lenihan Kunkel Fundraisers and the Pay It Forward For Danielle website, violated Pennsylvania’s Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act and the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act.
A Newtown Advance article from 2011 has several photos of Kunkel with a shaved head. It also quotes her parents in the article discussing her diagnosis.
Under the terms of the settlement, Kunkel is required to pay a total of $49,906, which includes restitution for the amount donated, and thousands of dollars in civil penalities, investigation costs, attorney fees and court expenses. Kunkel is also prohibited from participating in any solicitations on behalf of herself or any individuals, organization, corporation, association, partnership, trust or foundation with a charitable mission.
According to the settlement, the $36,665 in restitution will be distributed by the Office of Attorney General to one or more charitable organizations in and around Bucks County providing medical care for cancer patients.
Kunkel was not immediately available for comment.
