Ashley Kirilow

Ashley Anne Kirilow (born 1987) is a Canadian woman who raised money to Aid cancer patients while pretending to have cancer herself.

When Kirilow's fraud was made public, her story was republished around the world.

Since her case became public, Kirilow's fraud has been cited as a cautionary example of the dangers posed by online fund-raising campaigns.

In 2008 or 2009, Kirilow discovered a lump in her breast.

Although a biopsy showed the lump was benign, she lied about having cancer.

According to the Toronto Sun, psychotherapist Marc Feldman, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Alabama, suggested the kind of lies Kirilow told were often a sign an individual was manifesting Münchausen Syndrome by internet.

Kirilow was one of the examples of a mentally ill suspect offered in the textbook Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis.

In November 2010, Kirilow pled guilty to defrauding Donna Michalowski, a woman who had raised almost $7,400 for Kirilow.

Kirilow surrendered to the police on August 6, 2010.

Kirilow's father described growing suspicious of his daughter's cancer claims, and when she wouldn't supply details of her treatment, he told her he no longer believed she had cancer, and that he would report her to the police if she didn't surrender herself first.

Kirilow appeared several times in bail court during her first weeks in custody.

Newspapers quoted former friends who explained that no one would post bail for her because everyone felt hurt and angry.

Kirilow's father explained that he had considered posting her bail, but had decided that she had lied too many times.

When she was sentenced, in April 2011, as part of his explanation for her relatively lenient sentence, Justice Fred Forsyth noted how young her biological parents were when she was born.

Kirilow was charged with several counts of fraud with one count of fraud of over $5,000.

Kirilow and her supporters report receiving death threats.

On August 20, 2011, a recognizance of $5,000 was pledged, and she was released on bail with supervision by the John Howard Society.

The Winnipeg Free Press reported that Kirilow received a conditional sentence, no jail time.

Kirilow had not spent the year between her arrest and her sentencing in jail.

She spent that time in half-way houses and mental health facilities.

When explaining the conditional sentence the judge said sentences were ""not an instrument for the acting of public vengeance and retribution,"

Kirilow was sentenced to 10 months of house arrest, followed by five months where she would have a curfew.

During her ten months of house arrest she was to be allowed three hours a week to shop for "necessities".

During her five months of curfew, she would have to be at home between 10pm and 6am.

After her fifteen months of house arrest and curfew her sentence required her to do 100 hours of community service.

Her sentence explicitly barred her community service from including any duties connected with fund-raising for charities.

Kirilow was not fined, and did not have to pay restitution.

Kirilow was arrested by a grocery store security guard on October 7, 2011 for attempting to steal $11 worth of cold medicine.

She pleaded guilty two weeks later to theft under $5,000.

She was sentenced to one further day in jail.

Kirilow was still serving her conditional sentence from her fraud conviction when she stole from the grocery store.

On November 10, 2011, she received an additional 30 days in jail for breaching terms of her conditional sentence.

Both the Toronto Sun and The Hamilton Spectator speculated that Kirilow's last conviction was a sign that underlying mental health issues were not being addressed.

The Hamilton Spectator and CHCH TV reported that Kirilow appeared in court on February 8, 2012, for a second breach of her parole conditions.

The Hamilton Spectator speculated that Kirilow was risking having her parole revoked.

On March 2, 2012, The Hamilton Spectator confirmed that her conditional sentence had been revoked.

Ashley Kirilow was jailed for breaching her house arrest conditions by visiting her boyfriend.

Kirilow's Facebook page described a charity she said she set up, entitled Change for the Cure.

Kirilow appeared at benefit concerts, organized on her behalf.

Kirilow visited children in hospital receiving cancer treatment.