A former Ball State University student was sentenced Friday to one year in prison for her second scam in which she received money and assistance for pretending to have cancer.
Brookelyn Walters' first scam was uncovered in 2004. She told Ball State officials she was deaf and had cancer. The university hired an interpreter for her, and the Delta Chi fraternity and Kappa Delta sorority gave her about $1,000 to $1,500 raised at a hog roast in her honor.
Walters' deception at Ball State was discovered when officials found a discrepancy in Walters' forms asking for an interpreter. Walters went in front of the Delaware County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty but mentally ill. She was placed under four years of probation.
"I think that's really dirty and dishonest," Matt Filer, president of the Ball State chapter of National Pan-Hellenic Council, said. "There's actually people out there with cancer, and this is using people's misfortunes to their advantage."
For her second scam, Walters told her employers, Mike and Erin Booher of Rising Star Gymnastics Club Inc. in Bloomington, that she had leukemia, so they let Walters move in with them.
Walters' scam was discovered, however, and she was convicted Friday of a felony charge for theft.
She pleaded guilty but mentally ill for a second time and was sentenced to three years in jail, but the judge suspended two years of her sentence.
"I hate seeing people go to jail, but with this being not her first time doing it, it's the right thing to do," Brady Akers, former Interfraternity Council president, said. "That these organizations having open hearts to her and her taking advantage of that is horrible wrong."
However, the Ball State scam has not changed the way greek organizations approach philanthropic events, Filer and Akers said.
"There haven't been any new guidelines," Akers said. "But people who put on philanthropic events, maybe they are looking more at the groups they are giving money to. We are still happy to give to community, but it's definitely a damper seeing the evil people have."
Filer said his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alphi, and most organizations of which he is aware, only give to well-known charities.
"We did something with the Red Cross, and I had to go in, and there was a contract we had to fill out so both parties know what's going on," Filer said. "Anything we do is in writing."
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