A Maryland woman accused of faking cancer for nearly a decade and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for her medical care is being investigated by the GoFundMe fundraising platform and Howard County authorities.
Alexandra “Lexi” Thomas, 34, has been thrust into a national spotlight as a recently released podcast, “The Lexi Con,” explores allegations that she convinced friends, co-workers and even family members that she was battling blood cancer from 2014 through 2024.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe confirmed in an email that the organization was investigating Thomas.
“GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and the exploitation of the generosity of our donors,” spokesperson Madeline Purdue wrote. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics of the case.”
Thomas did not immediately respond to an email sent to the address listed on her Facebook page or to a phone message left at her parents’ home. A lawyer is not listed for Thomas in court records.
Thomas’ brother-in-law, Dan Goldsmith, and his wife, Meghan, said in an email Thursday that they had reported the matter to the Howard County state’s attorney’s office and the Howard County Police Department, which were investigating.
“We reported the matter to law enforcement shortly after becoming aware of it because it became clear that something was terribly wrong and we wanted to put it in the hands of people who could uncover what really happened,” the Goldsmiths wrote.
They have shared their story on the podcast, alleging that Thomas created an elaborate ruse in which she claimed to be receiving experimental treatments for a rare form of cancer. Thomas doctored photos to make it appear that she was receiving chemotherapy and even impersonated doctors and nurses in emails and text messages, the podcast alleges.
A spokesperson for the state’s attorney’s office said in an email that the office could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation. A Howard County police spokesperson told The Banner last month that the agency was looking into the claims against Thomas.
Thomas’ husband, Gavin Hannan, filed for an annulment in late October, writing in court papers that he first learned of the alleged scheme when contacted by an investigative reporter last year.
He then learned that Thomas “did not, and never did, have cancer,” according to the annulment filing. “The doctors that Defendant [Thomas] claimed had saved her life, and treated her for years, have no record of her ever being a patient,” according to the filing.
The podcast, created by Nancy Moscatiello and Scott Eldridge, who collaborated on the podcast and documentary “Scamanda,” describes Thomas as growing up in privileged circumstances as a student at Olney’s Our Lady of Good Counsel High School and riding at Silver Spring’s Woodland Horse Center.
After falling ill on a family trip to Ocean City in 2014, Thomas began chronicling her health struggles in a blog and social media posts. She said she was enrolled in a trial at the National Institutes of Health that was so sensitive that family members and friends could not accompany her to her appointments or treatments — although she sometimes took her dog along, according to the podcast.
At Thomas’ behest, friends, family, co-workers at a Red Robin restaurant and church members held fundraisers or organized GoFundMe campaigns to cover the costs of enrolling in clinical trials and obtaining experimental treatments, the podcast alleges.
She also altered photos to make it appear that she was part of a support group of young women with cancer and then wrote blog posts mourning the deaths of the other women, according to the podcast.
The podcast producers tracked down and interviewed several of the women, who were alive and said that they had never met Thomas.
Moscatiello said in an interview Thursday that she had initially planned to create seven podcast episodes, as well as seven post-episode debriefings, but was adding an additional episode as more information had come in.
“There are a couple more important components to the unraveling” of the scheme, she said.
The Goldsmiths said in the email that Thomas’ alleged scheme had caused immense pain to the family.
“The past year has been devastating to our family,” they wrote. “Family members, donors and all the people who have supported Lexi deserve the truth.”
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