Woman accused of pocketing $37K in GoFundMe donations meant for injured cousin

State police have accused an Oklahoma Borough woman of pocketing more than $37,000 from an online fundraiser she established for an injured relative.

Vanessa Renea Louise Lewis, 29, is charged with theft by deception, financial exploitation of a care-dependent person, receiving stolen property and theft by failure to deposit funds.

She was arraigned in front of District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec this week and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

In a criminal complaint, state police wrote in court papers that, on April 21, they were contacted by the injured man’s family regarding missing funds.

The man was injured in a motorcycle accident in 2022 and was unable to take care of himself. Lewis, the man’s cousin, established a GoFundMe campaign and opened a bank account after the crash to assist in paying for the man’s care, according to the complaint.

The family said they became suspicious when they saw photos of Lewis on a cruise, according to police, because they did not believe she had money to pay for a cruise.

The man’s father was granted access to the accounts after being appointed his legal guardian and noticed multiple transfers from the bank account, including wire transfers for more than $20,000, the complaint said.

Investigators believe Lewis spent or transferred more than $37,000 from bank accounts meant to benefit the man to her personal bank accounts.

State police said bank records showed the account had a balance of about $40,340 in August 2024. By March, its balance had dropped to $3,043, according to the complaint.

The man’s family said no funds have been received or distributed for the man’s care since his accident, the complaint said.

Lewis’ attorney, Scott Bitar, did not respond to a TribLive request for comment.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16 before Yakopec.