Overview
- Federal prosecutors say Vanessa O'Rourke told friends and family between 2015 and 2016 that she had glioblastoma and used a GoFundMe and local events to solicit donations for treatment and travel.
- Court filings say O'Rourke raised roughly $11,740 from about 146 donors on GoFundMe and benefited from a June 2016 restaurant fundraiser that invited local businesses to donate auction items.
- Authorities allege O'Rourke traveled to Australia in April 2016 and again later that year for leisure activities instead of medical care, and she was indicted on 15 counts of wire fraud in May 2018.
- The FBI added O'Rourke to its most wanted list and renewed public appeals for tips last week, saying she has used aliases including Vanessa Gulinello and Cecilia Vincent Gaeta Lazaro and was last believed to be in Queensland.
- The case underscores gaps in crowdfunding oversight and raises practical hurdles for U.S. law enforcement when a suspect is believed to be living abroad, leaving donors and communities seeking answers and recovery options.