Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Nurse’s Cancer Hoax Exposed

Episode Date: June 26, 2026

Haleigh Knight was a nurse who was living a double life as a con artist. In 2024, she set up a Go Fund Me account and proclaimed that she was suffering from pancreatic cancer. The story was a lie. But that didn't stop Knight from posting videos on TikTok claiming she was undergoing chemotherapy. Her victims said she ran other scams, too. Now Knight has learned her punishment for the crime. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through the case in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No, I am not outsourcing any work. I know that rumor is going around too. I am still finishing everything. I am working really hard. Haley Knight wanted to clear up the rumors about her needlepoint business, but there were other rumors that were far more sinister. Let's get ready for chemo this morning. I wanted to do a little bit of skincare.

And that led to this moment. You change people's lives for your own selfishness and your own grief. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy, and this is Crime. Haley Knight is a woman who you could call a chameleon, but in the absolute worst way possible. Haley Knight is a liar, and she's also a con artist. She's admitted to this. She betrayed people that she called friends for years and people that she'd never even met who wanted to help her. And now she's going to jail for it.

Knight was a nurse who did a lot of needlepoint. Take a look. Let's do a little what I keep in my needlepoint back. So first thing is this little container. In here I have all of my things that I don't use as much, but I still might need while needle pointing. So the little brass packs for my canvases. This is for finishing a couple seam rippers.

This little tool, which I really love. I think it's called Stitcher's Best Friend or something like that, but it just helps push threads back through while you're stitching. you're stitching and then I have these scissors which I don't use as much as my other ones which are these ones but I like to use these when I'm cutting the new skeins of bread. So in here I keep this one in my bag. Seems harmless enough right, a woman and her needlepoint bag but it was all a facade because it appears that nearly everything that Haley Knight said or did online over the last couple of years was a lie and now she's admitted that she even went as far as

faking a cancer diagnosis back in 2024 for sympathy and for cash. Here's Rachel Rydell discussing how she met Haley Knight in Nevada. I met Haley. She was actually one of my employees. I had hired her to come work with me at the surgery center and she was just very nice. I mean, her husband Charles worked there. He was also very nice, like an unassuming couple. And she had told me that She did internet marketing and I'm not super savvy in that whole internet thing. So she just said that she had had access to discounts through Like to Know and originally was trying to sell her own purses. And I'll stitch in some of those emails now. Here she asks if I want to buy her purse.

And then she quickly goes into her discount and Rolex discount right here. Asking if I want it and confirming the date. I asked her how it worked. So in the middle of all that, like she's still working at the surgery center. And I remember her like she'd get up from sitting down and act like she had really bad back pain and said that she was going to the doctor to have MRIs and scans to see what was wrong with her. And the day after I sent her money, she stopped working. And then a couple weeks later, she starts posting a go-fundie saying that she has pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is incredibly serious. It has one of the highest mortality rates because it's usually not caught. until it's in the later stages of disease. This is the GoFundMe that Haley Knight set up. That account has been disabled for some time now. Haley Knight lied to a lot of people about this cancer diagnosis, and she even posted about it on TikTok. Let's get ready for chemo this morning.

I wanted to do a little bit of skincare. I don't typically get very ready, but wanted to feel a little bit put together. So I washed my face, brush my teeth, did some skincare, did my gwashaw, which I love doing gwashaw. helped a lot with lymphatic drainage. Also added SPF because I feel like it's needed. A little bit of concealer. Under eyes because of course chapstick, brows, a little bit of blush because why not? And I was ready to go. Avery's been doing this thing lately where the garage closes and she waves.

It's adorable. My favorite thing ever. Just left chemo, got a new dressing, which I was happy about. Got some coffee because I felt like I deserved it. And now let's move on with the rest of the day. That's a pretty elaborate video talking about getting ready for chemotherapy. But the deception, but the Deception with Haley Knight wasn't just about the cancer diagnosis, even though that was a terrible, terrible part of it. Her victims say they actually lost thousands of dollars because Haley promised them access to trips and jobs. She had invited me and my husband and kids to go to like an all-expenses paid trip to Disneyland. We just picked the date and had to be there. So in the text that I'm about to show, you're going to see tons of stuff of her talking about Disney. And if you look at anybody else's

scams. That's another scam that she runs where she claims that she has like deals with four seasons and she'll take you to four seasons. You just have to pay a deposit. And then the day comes and these trips, they just don't exist. So you'll find those out soon. There's many of those that are out there as well. Rachel Rydell said she felt really badly for her friend, but then she started seeing things that just didn't make sense for someone who was going through major chemotherapy. Remember, this was back in 2024. Here's like a couple things that she posted that really made me question like, okay, something, something just doesn't smell right.

When there's smoke, there's fire. March 16, she started chemo radiation with surgery on April 10th. She's showing her port on April 16th and then get ready with me on May 22nd, on her go fund me. She says that she's getting a port again and starting red devil chemo. But on June 13th, there's no port. and now she has started a new needle pointing business with apparently no port here. So she claims that cold cap saved her hair, but that doesn't really work for Red Devil chemo.

And for her to be like starting a new business all while going through all of these surgeries and treatments and like nothing made sense. But I mean, I felt really bad questioning a 28 year old who was supposedly dying of cancer. And to say she has a new four centimeter mass tells me that her treatment's not working. her cancer is advancing and it's just not very well for her. So I felt really bad even having these feelings that she wasn't being honest. Now she wants to refund us through Melio, which never came, and I'm pressing her for my money. And she says she's coming back from New York and is staying at her sisters, but doesn't know the address. And I'm like, it's 2024 Zelle Venmo cash app, a pigeon. I don't care. Just run me my money, girl at this point. So it's like hoop after hoop after

hoop. No check, no pain. It can't do this, can't do that. And I'm just like sick of it. So I went and I looked on her Facebook and she had a family photo shoot on a beach. And if you look, just just look at this. You are not getting tan lines. If you are under Red Devil chemo on September 20th, okay? Let's be real here. So Rachel Reddell says Haley Knight was on the beach for family photo shoots when she was supposed to be dying of cancer and undergoing chemo.

So she fights to get her money back. All right, party people. strap in this is going to be the longest one yet so at this point um i have sent her a demand letter i was waiting for her to respond to it um i just knew that like nothing she said or did like makes sense she was lying she was making up screenshots of pending payments and documents and just things that just didn't exist emails um you know so like i said i had sent her the demand letter and I sent her a link to the Nevada NRS explaining exactly what fraud is. And she finally at some point just agrees that she wants to settle in. She gives me like this

little explanation of what happened and good luck. Here she is telling me what's going on and what's really the true story behind her and she got my demand letter and you know she just gives me this BS explanation and she's like, thank you. I'm sorry where I tell her don't be sorry if you had my money for trips and photo shoes, you had my money to pay me back. So don't be sorry now. So you can see she received the demand letter and she wanted to pay me off. She had made a one-time payment at the end of September. And then October 4th was when her second payment was supposed to be there by like, I don't know, it was like 10 a.m. And a huge part of her scam is that she tries to like play on your emotions. So when she originally brought the person, she was like, oh, just keep it and

wear it until the new one comes in and I'm sorry like I you don't front in someone else's designer items like I'll just wait for my own bag but I'm also not stupid so I kept her bag because she had my money she's supposed to send me my final payment and then has the audacity to send me a return label like I'm going to send her purse before I get the rest of my money back and I'm just like sick of her I'm so sick of her this is like how it all ends through November and she has the audacity to send me a cease and desist after I post on TikTok what happened after I filed a lawsuit, which I'm going to let these last few messages play out and you can see kind of how all of this ends. Haley Knight's house of cards collapsed.

She has pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a Class C felony in Nevada. She appeared in court for sentencing where her victims spoke of the pain that she caused them. My local judge, my name is Corey King. Like most victims, I never imagined I'd be standing in a courtroom reading a victim impact statement. None of us want to be here today, but I believe our voices deserve to be heard, and I hope that by sharing my experience, the court can better understand the impact Haley's actions have had on me and my family. I met Haley over a decade ago. Since that time, she presented herself as a trustworthy friend who had built a successful content creation career. Haley started

a fashion blog after high school and later built a following on Instagram. She talked about working with popular brands and hotel companies. Haley and her husband, Charles, worked minimal hours at their conventional jobs as registered nurses. Haley claimed to be doing very well with her content creation career and said she had built relationships

with multiple brands over the years. Based on the life she portrayed and the confidence she spoke with, I had no reason to doubt her. What I know now is that much of what Haley presented to me was a lie. Healy posed as multiple four seasons hotel representatives for

It started with someone Haley named, claimed was a four seasons representative named Beatrice Adams. Corey Fink told the judge that Haley posing as Beatrice Adams told them that the four seasons was looking for content creators to hire. Corey said she and her sister were looking forward to trips they were promised, but the plans always fell apart. Every time something stopped making sense, there was another explanation. After frustration, confusion, and many tears, Haley, Sydney and I discussed getting a lawyer. to help us out of this mess. Healy suggested a local attorney she claimed to have a close relationship with and said that he had represented her before. We later learned that the communications we believe were coming from a legal team were actually coming from Haley herself.

Yet another layer of deception. Looking back now, what disturbs me is how detailed it all was. These were not just names she created. These people had personalities, job titles, explanations, and ongoing. in ongoing conversations. There were contracts, docu-sign agreements, and even communications

from what we believe was a legal team. To this day, I still struggle to understand how much effort went into all of this. Every time something stopped making sense, there was another explanation, another document, another person,

another reason to keep believing. It felt like the lies never stopped. It was pure manipulation and emotional abuse. At one point, my brother raised suspicions about Haley's intentions. when I mentioned it to her over text, this was her response. I cannot take this anymore. I don't blame him.

I know it's stressful on everyone. I get that, but it really sucks to know that I'm feeling stressed about proving this to everyone, and then someone thinks that I would willingly put everyone through this trauma. Reading this text now is chilling because it shows Haley understood the trauma she was causing my family and me, yet she continued deception anyways. The financial impact changed the course of my life because I believe my family. baby was telling me. I left my job. I made decisions about my future based on opportunities that I believed were real. When everything fell apart, I could no longer afford my bills. I had to move

back home permanently to Nevada and rely on the family members for support. I borrowed money from people I love just to get by. I lost everything I had built for myself. But Corey Thinks says this was just part of the betrayal of her trust by Haley Knight. Looking back now, it hurts to realize how often my kindness and trust were taken advantage of. Then came the cancer diagnosis. Healy told me that she had pancreatic cancer. I was devastated. I remember crying and telling me how scared she was.

I was scared too. I truly believed my friend was dying. I prayed and worried for her and hoped for a miracle. Words cannot adequately describe the devastation believing that a close friend was dying and preparing my... Sorry. Words cannot adequately describe the devastation of believing that a close friend was dying and preparing myself for the possibility of losing her. One moment, I will never forget, it happened in January 2025.

My sister woke me up in the middle of the night, knocking on my bedroom door and panicking, saying, Haley's Four Seasons. The second I heard her name, my stomach dropped. I thought I was about to hear that my friend had died. Instead, I learned that I had been lied to. In that moment, everything I thought I knew fell apart. when I found out the truth I felt completely violated. This experience took me to one of the lowest points in my life. I felt trapped by the financial consequences and overwhelmed by the betrayal.

He kept asking myself how someone I trusted so completely and knowingly could do this while continuing to call herself a friend. Someone I trusted have inserted herself into my hopes, my plans for the future, my finances, my friendships, and even my grief. Looking back, it feels like every part of my trust was exploited. The impact went far beyond money. It affected my mental health and my confidence, my independence, my relationships, and my ability to trust people.

Corey Fink's sister, Sidney Fink, also spoke about Haley Knight lying to her and destroying their friendship. We have known Haley for over 15 years. We went to high school together, shared the same circles, and over time our friendship grew very close. When we all became parents, the friendship grew even stronger. Our daughters were born just a month apart, and we welcomed Haley and her family into our home, our family, and our lives about hesitation. Because of that, we never questioned her intentions.

In 2023, Haley invited us to join on what seemed like an incredible opportunity working for four seasons as content creators. It felt like a dream. Caleb could step away from bedside nursing, and I could use my background as a professional photographer in a new way. We were excited to build something meaningful together as a family. She knew exactly what our dreams were and she used those dreams against us. She used them to gain our trust and take our money. She made everything look legitimate.

She created big contracts, impersonated company representatives and used multiple phone numbers to make the communication seem authentic. Because of that deception, we paid thousands of dollars and what we were told were refundable trip deposits. We also spent thousands more preparing for these trips by purchasing equipment, passports, luggage, and other necessities because we genuinely believed this opportunity was real. Caleb used nearly a month's worth of PTO because the representative Haley was impersonating told us needed to be ready to travel at a moment's notice. He also stepped down from his full-time nursing position to work per DM so traveling as a family would be easier and so he could support my dream. Those were real sacrifices made in good faith.

Sidney Fink says she invited Haley and her family into her home. At one point, Haley, Charles, and their daughters stayed with us and Gail's parents, Bonnie and Scott, for two weeks while they were between moves. Caleb and I gave up our bedroom and slept in our children's rooms so their family could be comfortable. During that time, she continued scamming us while sleeping in the very bed we had given up for her. Even now, I can't believe she was doing that in our own home. When the truth finally came out, something changed in our home. We didn't feel just hurt. We felt violated.

We became so paranoid. that we even bought hidden camera detectors because we no longer knew who she was and what she was capable of. Throughout all of this, Haley manipulated us with fake tears and constant soft stories. She painted herself as the victim while making others

out to be the villains, creating unnecessary attention and distrust between us and other people we cared about. She knew exactly how to exploit our compassion and our trust. She also claimed she had cancer. Something we now know is a lie. She used that way again, or that

lie to gain sympathy, patience, financial support, and help from us, and from countless others. We babysat her children while she said she was going to treatments or needed rest. In all, Haley Knight stole $19,787. Haley spoke at her sentencing. I know I'm here because of my own actions, and I take responsibility to that. I think about my choices from the people I hurt every day. The regret I feel for my actions is something I carry with me. There are a lot of things I wish I could go back and do it with me, but I can't change the past. Excuse me.

All I can do is learn from my previous actions and move forward. I want to say sorry. You need to talk to the court. I know that you probably want to apologize to them. They can hear your words, but you can't talk directly to them. Okay. I want to say I'm sorry to Sidney and to Sidney's family. Sidney was once one of my very best friends in hers, knowing that my actions.

So much to someone I care very deeply about. I also think about the impact. This has had my own family. My husband, my children, my parents, my sisters, and the people who love me had had to carry the consequences of my actions alongside me. I know this has been painful for them, and I regret putting them through that. My daughters mean everything to me. They're the reason I keep trying to be better.

When I look at them, I think about the way. kind of person and mother I want to be. I want them to see someone who takes responsibility for her actions, learns from them, and keeps moving forward. Over the last year, I've continued working, supporting my family, getting the help I need to better understand the choices I made, and make sure I never find myself in this position again. I respectfully ask the court to give me the opportunity to continue moving forward, make restitution, support my family, and prove through my actions that I can learn from this and be a better person. Thank you.

And Haley's lawyer spoke on her behalf. Take a listen. Thank you, Honor. So as you can see, she accepts responsibility. This is an error in judgment, to say the least. This is something that definitely weighed heavy on her shoulders, and she certainly regrets. She has called my office throughout this process probably 20 times

because she's been so afraid because she's been so, knows that what she has done has hurt. other people. Because you look at her background and you say to yourself, how does somebody with no record, a registered nurse, helping people, caring for people,

doing everything right, 30 years old, and all of a sudden we get to this. Why? Why do we get here? What happened here? And so there's nothing in regard to an excuse, a justification or anything like that. I just want to mention some reason

that she was going through at the particular time specifically one thing was her mental health okay she was going through some issues and she was prescribed medication she was not taking that medication she had postpart of depression anxiety OCD things like that so she was going through all those aspects of things again not an excuse you get caught up in something where you're where you have intentions that are good in the beginning from talking to her But now you're in a situation where you're starting to make money. And it's fraudulent.

And then you get cut up in this quicksand. Well, maybe you keep getting away with it until you don't. And now you get into the situation. And she's taken, you know, felony up front here. How many friends does she have now? Zero. That's for her, you know, for her reason. All these people were friends.

Not anymore, understandably. And so her reputation. has been put through the mud significant in regard to so many different ways and she's been bashed again not a justification matter I'm just telling you what has been going on through this case

and how certainly it's affected her but most important how it's affected the victims because the victims have spoken up for a reason have been upset with her for a reason and so rightly so we understand that. I hope Your Honor takes the words that she says today seriously, because they are genuine. They are sincere. And we ask that Your Honor follow negotiations, please. In the end, the judge didn't let Haley Knight off the hook. While you were making your statement, you were

doubting at your eyes, but it was not lost on the court that when your former friends were telling you the ways that you hurt them, that you stood. their emotionless. You not only embezzled from your friends, you doubled down on that embezzlement. And then you tripled down on that embezzlement. At any point in time, you could have said, I'm sorry, I messed up. I got in over my head, and this has spiraled into something that is completely out of my control, and here's what I did, and you could have come clean. And if you have this kind of relationship with these people, you might have still lost them as friends, but they might have been able to at least have faith that you are honest with them,

and you probably wouldn't have the same sort of devastation and construction that you caused to this family. I need you to keep that in the back of your brain, as I say what I finish saying. You change people's lives for your own selfishness and your own greed, and absent this court's ability to be able to take some of those things into consideration, you'd be going to prison today. But to the family, I want you all to understand that the court has to rely on evidence. I have to follow the law. And if I rely on things that you said that cannot.

not be proven that I can't really take into consideration and I impose a sentence based on those things, then it would be potentially an illegal sentence that would ultimately be reversed. I have to follow what has been laid out in front of me. And what I have in front of me is somebody who clearly took money and that needs to be punished. Somebody who clearly did that, but I don't really have much more than that as far as the other information that you all have provided to me that I can rely upon in imposing a sentence. You stole people's ability to trust illness. And as a result of your position as a nurse, and this being a category C felony, I want the family. I want the family.

to understand that in all likelihood, while you all feel that there's not really a consequence to her simply repaying the money, having a category C felony on her record will be a consequence. She will likely lose her nursing license as a result of having that category C felony on her record. The judge was going to give Haley probation, but then she changed her mind. The more that I sat here, I just, there needs to be a consequence that is more than just you pay from that. There just us. 30 days means right to me. And I know that that does not seem like a lot of time to the family, but it's me saying that there needs to be a consequence to you taking people's trust and destroying people's trust.

that is more than just you paying back money, and more than just having the felony on your record that has the ability to do with me. You need to do some time on this, and I'm not saying that 30 days is, you know, a great amount of time, but for somebody who has never had any time behind bars and never been in the system,

that's a significant amount of time. So I am going to impose 30 days, but I'm going to give you a week to self-surrender so that you can, get your affairs in order over the next week. Haley Knight will serve 30 days in jail. For her victims, it will never be enough. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix.

I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.