Riverside County woman accused of faking cancer referred to mental health court

MURRIETA, Calif. -- A Riverside County woman accused of lying about having a terminal illness to scam people out of money has been referred to a mental health court that offers treatment and supervision, instead of jail.

Cristina Lagman claimed on Facebook that cancer was destroying her body and that she only had weeks to leave.

Friends, family and complete strangers gifted her with more than $3,000 through a GoFundMe website.

But Lagman's story unraveled when a friend offered to take her to a doctor to confirm her diagnosis, because people began to question her story.

Lagman was taken into custody Dec. 2. She is now facing charges of felony theft by false pretenses.