US EditionAustralian Mother Who Faked Son's Cancer to Fund 'Lavish' Lifestyle Jailed
Michelle Bodzsar pleaded guilty to deception and child-harm charges after securing thousands in donations by falsely claiming her six-year-old son had cancer.
- On Wednesday, South Australian mother Michelle Bodzsar was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for faking her six-year-old son's cancer diagnosis to solicit donations and fund a lavish lifestyle.
- The deception began after the boy's eye injury in September 2024, when Bodzsar shaved his head, applied bandages, and administered medication to convince family and school community he required cancer treatment.
- Judge Geraldine Davison rejected claims of financial hardship, describing the ruse as "cruel, calculated and manipulative" while noting Bodzsar collected more than $5000 in donations from the community.
- Husband Ben Miller was initially arrested but later cleared, losing his career and contact with his children for seven months; outside court, he stated that "no sentence will ever justify what was done to my children."
- Bodzsar will serve a non-parole period of two years and four months, making her eligible for parole in April next year, though the court heard her children remain deeply affected by the abuse.
24 Articles
24 Articles
An Australian mother shaved her son's head, put him in a wheelchair and claimed he had cancer. The purpose: to scam donations. Now she's been sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
Sentenced to four years in prison this Wednesday, an Australian mother has for years faked her son's cancer to hijack thousands of dollars. Between abuse and manipulation, back to...
The woman, the 45-year-old Australian Michelle Bodzsar, forced the child to shave his hair to zero to make the story more believable.
'Manipulative' mum made son, 6, take fake medicine in cancer fundraising scam
Adelaide mum Michelle Bodzsar forced her son, 6, to take pseudo medication, shaved his head and made him wear an eyepatch while lying that he had cancer as she pocketed thousands in donations
An Australian mother simulated her son's cancer to gain access to a lavish lifestyle with donations supposed to fund her child's treatments, and on Wednesday she was sentenced to more than four years in prison.
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