Mom Faked Kid's Cancer to Scam Church

A Michigan mom was charged with three felony counts today, after allegedly tricking her son into believing he had cancer, and the local church into raising money for him. According to police, Carol Lynn Schnuphase, 47, told her 12-year-old boy he had leukemia, then shaved his head, drugged his food, and posted Facebook updates lamenting his increasingly poor health.

That convinced her church to hold a series of fundraisers that pulled in more than $7,000, the Detroit Free Press reports. Schnuphase faces two felony counts of false pretenses, and one of second-degree child abuse, which could land her in prison for more than 10 years. Her son is in foster care, and seems healthy. (More leukemia stories.)