Duo fundraised for ‘funeral’ using fake story about dead boy, California police say
Two people have been arrested after California police say they were caught soliciting money for a funeral using a fake story about a dead boy.
Multiple drivers called 911 to report the duo “walking in and out of traffic with signs” in Hemet, asking for money to fund a child’s funeral, the Hemet Police Department said in a Feb. 25 Facebook post.
The pair’s sign includes a photo of a young boy and says he was 10 when he died in a car accident, a photo shared by the department shows.
“GOD-BLESS,” the bottom of the sign reads.
Using cameras, officers identified the car the two used to leave the area, “while counting the money they had collected,” police said.
After finding the car about two miles away from where the two are accused of panhandling, officers pulled over the driver, according to police.
Officers questioned the driver and passenger, who police say “gave conflicting statements as to who the child on their poster was and where he had died.”
Through investigation, police said they learned the duo’s story was fake; the child on the poster was from a 2011 Romanian news article.
The news story, which included the boy’s photo, said the boy went missing for a day and was later found at a park, according to police. He did not die in a car accident.
Police said their officers also found evidence, including multiple IDs, EBT cards and passports, that confirmed “their schemes.”
The pair, a 29-year-old man and 38-year-old woman, were arrested on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit a crime, obtaining money by false pretenses and disorderly conduct, jail records show.
They were released from custody after each posting $5,000 bail and are scheduled to appear in court May 19, according to jail records
Hemet is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Duo fundraised for ‘funeral’ using fake story about dead boy, California police say."
