Woman Pleads Guilty to Boston Marathon Charity Fraud

A Boston woman has pleaded guilty to charges of fraudulently receiving thousands of dollars by claiming she was injured in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Prosecutors say 41-year-old Joanna Leigh pleaded guilty Friday to five counts of larceny over $250 and making a false claim to a government agency.

She was sentenced to a year in jail, which was suspended for three years of probation. Prosecutors had recommended three years in prison.

Authorities say Leigh was at the April 2013 marathon, but wasn't hurt. She countered that she suffered traumatic brain injuries.

Prosecutors say Leigh got $8,000 from The One Fund, the charity set up to compensate the families of those killed and the injured. She was also charged with accepting money from a state victims' compensation fund and private sources.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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