The Breakfast Club - DONKEY: 19 Year Old TikToker Arrested For GoFundMe Cancer Scam

Episode Date: January 31, 2023

19 Year Old TikToker Arrested For GoFundMe Cancer ScamSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hello, my undeadly darlings. It's Teresa, your resident ghost host. And do I have a treat for you. Haunting is crawling out from the shadows, and it's going to be devilishly good. We've got chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the lights stayed on. So join me, won't you? Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sleep tight, if you can. but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle.

We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other, so join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16, 2017, was assassinated. Crooks Everywhere unearthed the plot to murder a one-woman WikiLeaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state.

Listen to Crooks Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone.

Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history, like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me.

Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Colvin. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's time for Donkey of the Day. Donkey of the Day.

I'm a Democrat, so being Donkey of the Day is a little bit of a mixed place. So like a donkey. Keyhawk. Donkey of the Day. The Breakfast Club, bitches. Now, I've been called a lot in my 23 years that Donkey of the Day is a new one. Sim Sima, can you bring me a water please? Thank you. Donkey of the day for Tuesday, January 31st goes to a young lady named Madison Marie Russo.

She's 19 years old. She hails from Iowa and she is the reason that when people send me GoFundMe's, my first reaction is go F yourself. Okay, you know why? Because in this cash app Ben Mozel, GoFundMe era, people be constantly asking for things. And they be asking for things that some of us used to have to work to get. For example, you don't need a GoFundMe because you need 10 on your windows. Okay? All right? Thank you, Sam.

All right? You don't need me to Cash App you because you want to go to Miami for the weekend. All right? I used to get those kind of requests often. But I think folks realize that's not the way to get money out of people. The way to get money out of people is to have a story and not just any story a story that pulls at people's heartstrings okay you gotta have a sob story i'm talking cleo right before she accepted that she was about to go out in a blaze of glory and set it off i'm talking ricky getting shot in the back

and boys in the hood i'm talking when charl talking when Charlotte and Charlotte's web dies because she has reached the end of her lifespan. Sidebar. Wilbur is the reason Charlotte died. She's doing all that damn graffiti with her web, writing out full messages to show how special Wilbur was when the reality is his fate was to be bacon. Okay, war pours Charlotte

out physically and emotionally. Charlotte sacrificed her own well-being for Wilbur. Drop on the clues bombs for Charlotte from Charlotte's Web. What a selfless spider she was, okay? But your story to receive money from complete strangers has to be that sad, which actually means it has to be that good. And this woman, Madison from Iowa, oh, she's one of those people who had a really good sad story. See, this woman was able to raise $37,000 from donors. $37,000. 37 racks. How was she able to get this money?

Let's go to News 8 for the report, please. Hi, everyone. My name is Maddie Russo, and this is my story. A LinkedIn video of 19-year-old Maddie Russo explaining her supposed cancer diagnosis. She claims she was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and told there was a football-sized tumor wrapped around her spine. Since then, Russo has talked about going through cancer with the National Pancreas Foundation in Chicago. She's also been on a podcast for Project Purple Online, a group on a mission to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

Her stories on both platforms have since been removed. A GoFundMe fundraiser was started titled, Maddie's Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer. Tom Boulin was listed as who started the donation page. As you can see, it raised nearly $38,000 from more than 400 donors. By Tuesday, the GoFundMe page was taken down. GoFundMe releasing a statement Tuesday saying they have a zero tolerance policy for misuse of our platform and the group is guaranteeing a full refund to donors. I really don't understand people like her. I really don't. If you could take the time and energy to create this elaborate false story

about having a stage two cancer diagnosis with a tumor, then guess what? You can write a script. Okay. You can write a novel. All right? How about write about your dark side instead of leaning into it? Because what happens in these situations is you make it bad for the person who's really dealing with cancer and who would love to have $37,000 to deal with their medical bills. But because of folks like you, okay, folks like me will come across these requests and deny them simply because I don't believe you. You need more people. All right? This woman had a fake stash of medical supplies you know I mean and wigs in her apartment girl you could have been

throwing place okay you could be the next Tyler Perry the next Jordan Cooper the next August Wilson but instead of being America's next top playwright you decided to compete and America's got scammers I don't feel sorry for you man okay i just hate to waste the talent because anyone who can come up with lavish successful schemes like this can use that same time and energy figure it out a way to make some money legally okay also i was born in the 1900s okay your old uncle charlotte and took a few laps around the sun and i'm from the era with certain things i just wasn't pretending to be because i didn't want to actually be that's how it was i didn't want to park in the handicap spot just because i had the handicap decalal. Okay. I wasn't parking,

parking in the handicapped spot, getting out limping because I was taught you play like that. You may end up handicapped for real. Fake and sick. No, sir. Not me. Hell, I tell my kids that now don't play about stuff like that. Okay. If something is really wrong, by all means, let me know, but don't pretend because you really might end up that way. Madison, 19 years old from Iowa, clearly got none of those lessons in life. And now she's facing 10 years in prison because she wants to lie. And I hope, maybe, she get at least six months. Six months so she can just be in there with some tough women.

You know what I mean? Some tough women that will sleep in boxer briefs. Okay? Please give Madison Marie Russo the sweet sounds of the Hamiltones. Oh, now you are the donkey of the day. You are the donkey of the day. Yee-haw. At least six months. For a scam that elaborate, you know what I mean? of the day. Yee-haw. Yee-haw. It'll be six months.

For a scam that elaborate, you know what I mean? Making light of something that has taken so many people's lives. At least a little six months in a prison. You know what I mean?

All right. Just let us all let our room with some tough women that wear boxer briefs. You know what I mean? That's all. That'll scare us great. Okay.

That's it. Okay. What's her background you gonna play again okay okay i guess it's time to play a game of guess what right she is all right madison marie russo 19 years old of iowa did a scam where she said she had stage two cancer and a big ass tumor. She got $37,000 from donors. Guess what race she is. Needy Leach. Completely white.

Why completely white? Not even off white, just completely white. Why completely white? Not even beige. Completely white. Damn. DJ Envy. Yes.

Madison Marie Rosso, 19 years old from Iowa scammed 37 racks out of people by lying about having stage 2 cancer diagnosis and a tumor guess what race she is

white damn I'm with you black people ain't gonna pay with ailments like they ain't gonna say they're sick

when they're not sick and then I don't think people gonna get black people money like that that's right we think about bad love you just had a whole conversation about how certain black people don't want to go to the doctor so I don't think people are going to get black people money like that. We think about bad love. That's right. We think about bad love.

We just had a whole conversation about how certain black people don't want to go to the doctor. So I ain't about to play about being sick. I'm not playing about that. Both of you are absolutely correct. Madison Marie Russo is completely white. All right. We're going to win a cash out. Completely white.

Now when we come back, Stone Boy will be joining us. Of course, he's from Ghana. Completely Ghana. Completely Ghana. And we're going to talk to him next. All right, don't move. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning.

The Breakfast Club. Donkey of the Day is brought to you by the law office of Michael S. Lamisoff. Don't be a donkey. Dial pound 250 on your cell and say the bull if you've been hurt

in a construction accident. That's pound 250 from your cell and say the bull. If you've been hurt in a construction accident, that's pound 250 from your cell and say the bull. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, my und you get your podcasts. chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the lights stayed on. So join me, won't you? Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can.

Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16th 2017 was assassinated. Crooks Everywhere unearthed the plot to murder a one woman WikiLeaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning

her beloved country into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics, to police violence. And we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home

workplace and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for civic cipher on the I heart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey y'all. Nemany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families

called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.