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Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman and East Lampeter Township police Detective Chris Jones went on TODAY to explain how a Fitbit helped prove Jeannine Risley fabricated a rape claim last year.

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A woman's false rape report in Lancaster County recently made national news in a segment on NBC's Today morning show explaining how investigators used technology to discredit the claim.

The segment featuring Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman and East Lampeter Township police Detective Chris Jones aired Tuesday morning to explain how a Fitbit wearable fitness device helped prove Jeannine Risley fabricated a rape claim last year.

"It sealed the deal for us," Stedman tells Today's investigative correspondent,Jeff Rossen, noting the inconsistencies in other evidence.

Jones also shows Rossen how simple it is for investigators to pull off the data and help solidify or debunk a claim.

"I can see every minute," Jones says, adding that it only took about a minute to gather the data from the fitness device.

The following is an account of the false rape report filed by East Lampeter Township police:

Risley reported she was raped around 2:30 a.m. on March 10, 2015, telling dispatchers an assailant pulled her out of the bed. Risley, a Florida resident, told police she was in Lancaster staying in the guest portion of her bosses' home when at the time.

When interviewed by police at Lancaster General Hospital, Risley told police she went to bed around midnight and was awakened when the man pulled her out of bed. Risley told police the man beat her head against the toilet, bathroom door and door jam before holding a knife to her and raping her.

There were no lights on in the home, but Risley told police she caught a glimpse of the man from outdoor landscape lights, describing him as a tall, slender man in his 30s with a non-athletic build. She said the assailant had dark, medium-length, unkempt hair and was wearing jeans and a dark jacket.

Risley also told police the man was not wearing any gloves and that she lost her Fitbit in the struggle.

East Lampeter Township police found all of the home's doors and windows were secured. Police also didn't find any footprints, even though the home was surrounded by snow.

Investigators also noted that the positioning of the bedsheets did not match Risley's story and there were no footprints found on the white tile or rugs in the bathroom. Additionally, Risley's Fitbit was found in the hallway, and not in the bathroom or bedroom where the struggle occurred.

Risley's boss told police that Risley had recently been told she would not be continuing as the temporary director of the company and was to tell her staff she would be resuming her job as a manager. She also told police that the outdoor landscaping lights automatically shut off before midnight.

Risley's boss also noted becoming suspicious after Risley declined her offer to fly her husband to Lancaster from Florida after the incident.



Risley agreed to provide police with her Fitbit, username and password. She also gave authorities her Fitbit Surge dongle to download data from the device, but the device never made it to police. The envelope sent to police, as well as the piece of paper containing Risley's Fitbit username and password, had one-inch holes in them, which is about the size of the Fitbit Surge dongle.

Police were able to obtain the data with the username and found that Risley was awake and walking around the entire night of the rape claim. Police filed charges April 17, 2015.

In March, Risley was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. She was ordered to submit to a mental health evaluation, keep a full-time job and to pay program costs for the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program.

Stedman said authorities will adapt to technology to help with cases, as the FItbit did in Risley's. He added that cellphones, computers and other technology also help in many cases.