Police: Man Conned Woman For $15K With Cancer Tale
CHICORA (KDKA/AP) - State police say a Beaver County man who befriended a woman at a harness racing track two years ago has since conned her out of $15,000 by pretending he had cancer.
David Lancos, 59, of Baden, is accused of telling 59-year-old Judith Brown that he had cancer and could not afford to pay for his medicine.
He then allegedly requested that Brown give him $300 monthly to cover the cost.
Investigators say the thefts went on for more than a year from December 2012 to March 2014.
Police say Lancos met the Butler County woman at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County in December of 2012.
Brown also paid for two supposed trips to Philadelphia to a cancer center.
State police say Lancos took the scheme even further, allegedly telling Brown he was unable to work and needed $9,000 to pay off lawyers to liquidate his share of the family business. He promised to pay her back when the sale was complete.
According to the criminal complaint, Brown borrowed the $9,000 from a bank.
Lancos never paid her back, and then Brown found out he never had cancer. She contacted police, but by that point, she was out $14,970.
Police say Lancos admitted from jail that he has a gambling problem and all of the money from brown is gone, gambled away.
At the time of Lancos' arrest, he was already in the Armstrong County Jail on an unrelated charge. His bail for theft by deception is $10,000.
Lancos is jailed on an unrelated theft charge. His public defender couldn't immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
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