Parents said son had cancer to get Syracuse football team visit, GoFundMe donations

A.J. Perez | USA TODAY

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A couple was arrested after authorities in central New York concluded that their son's cancer battle – which led to a visit to a Syracuse football practice and more than $3,000 in donations – was a lie.

Martin and Jolene LaFrance of Port Byron, N.Y., were each charged with one felony count of scheme to defraud and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child, the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Detective Nicole Stewart told Syracuse.com on Tuesday that the couple convinced their 10-year-old son, CJ, that he had cancer as part of the scheme.

"The investigation revealed that Mr. and Mrs. LaFrance participated in the creation of a GoFundMe request for donations which indicated that their child had cancer," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "As a result of this online solicitation, they did receive several thousand dollars in donations. The investigation revealed conclusively that the child was never diagnosed with cancer or any other medical condition that was alleged in the GoFundMe solicitation."

Beyond the donations to the crowdfunding site, CJ LaFrance visited the Syracuse football team last year. Syracuse.com reported that CJ was 9 at the time of the visit – which included other family members – in August 2017.

The couple said their son was battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. The boy's uncle, Justin Roe, told Syracuse.com at the time of the visit that CJ had undergone radiation treatment and that he had lymph nodes surgically removed.

"He has not been getting better," Roe told Syracuse.com.

GoFundMe said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports that family has been banned from the site and "all donors will receive a refund."

"It's important to remember that our platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, which means that in the rare case that GoFundMe, law enforcement or a user finds campaigns are misused, donors are fully protected and will get their money back. Additionally, we are working with law enforcement on their investigation," GoFundMe said in its statement.

Follow Perez on Twitter @byajperez