Bucks woman who faked cancer to raise money to pay back $50K

A Bucks County woman who faked having terminal cancer has reached an agreement to pay nearly $50,000 in restitution and penalties.

Danielle Kunkel, of Newtown, collected more than $36,000 in charitable donations after falsely claiming to have an aggressive form of lymphoma, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

The office said Thursday that it had reached a settlement with Kunkel, who was never diagnosed with the cancer.

Kunkel collected the funds after claiming that she faced more than $1 million in medical expenses and needed to travel to Germany for treatment, prompting her family and friends to hold a range of fund-raising events, authorities said.

The woman, who was accused of violating Pennsylvania's solicitation of funds for charitable purposes and local option small games of chance acts, later said she had made a full recovery.

In addition to paying the $36,665 in restitution, Kunkel has also agreed to pay $3,750 in civil penalties, $8,470 in investigative costs, $792 in attorneys' fees, and $229 in other costs and expenses.

The settlement also says she is barred from soliciting money on behalf of herself or any other individual or charitable organization.