A psychological evaluation has been ordered for a former Brighton woman charged with fraud by way of an online fundraising page.

33-year-old Candace Ann Streng is charged with False Pretenses of $20,000 or More, a 15 year felony and Use of a Computer to Commit a Crime, a 10 year felony. The charges were the result of the Brighton Police Department’s investigation into allegations that Streng falsely claimed to have cancer and was collecting donations to help with her medical expenses. In court last week, a defense request for a referral to the state’s Center for Forensic Psychiatry was approved. A follow-up hearing was set for mid-July.

Police began looking into allegations in January about a fraudulent GoFundMe account called “Candace Kicks Cancer”, which had been set up for Streng. Police say the evidence indicated the account was fraudulently used to accept donations based on Streng’s claim to have stage four breast cancer. GoFundMe records show 399 people donated money totaling $31,645 since April 15th, 2017. Several fundraisers were held for Streng over the past year with friends rallying by her side. GoFundMe immediately closed the account, banned Streng, and worked with the Brighton Police Department to refund all the donors. (JK)