HORIZON CITY, TX - It's a story that's shocked our community and received national attention.
Angie Gomez, 18, claimed to be dying of Leukemia. Earlier this year, Gomez started "Achieve the Dream, " a foundation she said was dedicated to helping other kids suffering from the deadly disease.
In just a few months, $17,000 were donated to the charity, according to the Horizon Police Department.
It turns out, she never had Leukemia or any other form of cancer.
"When I was little, I was diagnosed with Leukemia," Gomez said in a May interview with Local 4 News.
It's story she maintained for months, while thousands poured into her now infamous charity.
But Horizon Police said that story simply isn't true. In September, Gomez was charged with Theft by Deception, a State Felony. Gomez has not been arrested however, because police don't consider her a risk to skip town while she awaits a possible indictment from the district attorney.
Nicole Matsuda, 28, lived with Angie during the alleged scheme and helped her start the foundation.
"At first, I thought that it was sort of a little lie that she told and it just got way too big, way too fast for her to control," Matsuda said. "But I kind of feel like you can opt out of a lie at any time. She chose not to, so it had to be intentional."
Matsuda said that Angie went to elaborate lengths to maintain the appearance of illness.
"Anytime I would have some sort of question or hesitation, anything I would ask her, she always had an answer," Matsuda said. "Initially, I would just write it off as my ignorance toward the disease or something like that. But the longer the charade went on, there were some things that I began to question."
Tune in Wednesday at 10 p.m. to hear how "Achieve the Dream," quickly turned into a nightmare for Angie Gomez.
And why the woman who helped her start the foundation thinks Angie really did want do something good.
It's part two of our series, "Con for a Cause" on Local 4 News at 10.
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