BURLINGTON, Ontario, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A Canadian woman, who admitted faking cancer to receive money from sympathetic donors, faces three new fraud charges besides the one to which she confessed.
Brendan Neil, the lawyer for Ashley Kirilow, 23, of Burlington, Ont., said he was surprised when he learned of the new charges Monday at a court hearing, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Kirilow allegedly organized fundraisers with the assistance of others who believed she was terminally ill.
Neil said he learned of the three new counts of fraud under $5,000 at what he thought would be a procedural hearing to set the next court date for his client.
The complaints were filed in August, but the charges are only being brought recently because police had to verify the complaints' legitimacy, Neil said.
Kirilow is accused of having raised thousands of dollars for herself and for a charity that supposedly was to fund cancer research.
She surrendered to police in August, was charged with three counts of fraud under $5,000, and was later charged with another count of fraud over $5,000.
She intends to plead guilty to one count of fraud under $5,000, said Neil.
Kirilow is free on bond and living under supervision of the John Howard Society of Canada, a group that reintegrates those at the end of their sentence into society, in the Halton area.
Kirilow's actions caused a furor on a Facebook page created by Kirilow for the charity "Change" for a Cure, the CBC reported.
