After a month of treatment, tests revealed she did not have the condition.
A New Jersey woman has been charged after allegedly faking sickle cell anemia to avoid a $560,000 hospital bill at a central Pennsylvania medical center, officials said.
Taleah J. McKnight, 30, of Roselle Park, checked into Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center under a false name and provided documents claiming she had sickle cell anemia and would pay out-of-pocket, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
After a month of treatment, tests revealed she did not have the condition. “When confronted, she gave staff an ID with a fake name and left against medical advice,” the DA’s office said.
Medicare and Medicaid rejected reimbursement due to unrecognized patient information. Security staff also linked McKnight to other hospitals using different names, and found social media and GoFundMe accounts related to her hospital stays.
She faces two felony charges: theft by deception and theft of services. Her bail was set at $150,000 in March, which she posted. Arraignment is scheduled for June 13.