Woman Sentenced for $37,000 Cancer Fraud

A former teacher who faked stomach cancer and went on a spending spree with about $37,000 in donations was sentenced in Boston to two years in prison.

Heather Faria, 27, pleaded guilty to five counts of larceny and one count of gross fraud. Prosecutors said she duped friends into holding a fundraiser for her medical treatments and then spent the money on a vacation, a wide-screen television and jewelry.

Faria, who worked as a high school special-education teacher until last year, had told friends, family and colleagues that she could not afford cancer treatment and still have money left over for food, prosecutors said.