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VERNAL — A former Vernal elementary school teacher has pleaded guilty to faking a cancer diagnosis, then accepting $7,000 in donations raised on her behalf.
Christina Lundblad, 32, pleaded guilty Thursday to a reduced charge of communications fraud, a third-degree felony, as part of a plea agreement. She was originally charged with a second-degree felony.
She will be sentenced March 22.
Police investigating claims that Lundblad did not have cancer — even after she accepted $7,000 raised at Vernal's annual Trees for Charity auction by the family of her Discovery Elementary School mentor — found no medical record of diagnosis or treatment, according to charges filed in September.
A woman who reported her concerns to police in April 2015 said Lundblad claimed she had undergone surgery to remove cancerous tumors from her legs but had no surgical scars. Lundblad later said she had decided not to go through with the surgery, the tipster told police.
After receiving the money, the woman told police Lundblad and her husband bought a van and took a Disney vacation.
Lundblad told police she never asked anyone to raise money on her behalf but acknowledged that she accepted the money when it was presented to her.
