Kalispell Woman Accused of Soliciting Donations for Fake Cancer Scheme Pleads Not Guilty
Amy Elizabeth Glanville faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $10,000 or both
By Maggie Dresser
A Kalispell woman who allegedly solicited at least $60,000 in fraudulent contributions under the pretense that she was dying of cancer has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of theft.
Amy Elizabeth Glanville, 46, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing in Flathead County District Court on Jan. 6 before Judge Heidi J. Ulbricht.
Glanville was charged in December following a year-long investigation by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, which revealed evidence of approximately $60,000 in donations to her fake charitable cause.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said total contributions likely amounted to more than $100,000, but the precise monetary amount was difficult for investigators to gauge because some victims chose not to pursue criminal charges, while intangible services like road trips to doctor’s appointments and hotel bookings were difficult to quantify.
According to charging documents, Glanville collected funds through several fundraisers organized through the Easthaven Baptist Church in Kalispell, online portals like GoFundMe, PayPal and a local charitable event at Buffalo Wild Wings between 2015 and 2020, convincing the local community that she had thyroid cancer.
In January 2020, skeptical witnesses contacted law enforcement after Easthaven Baptist Church Pastor Daniel Lambert posted on Facebook that an “obvious healing miracle” had occurred and Glanville’s pacemaker, which she received while awaiting a life-saving heart transplant, was vanished by God.
Detective Commander Josh Buls of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office discovered during the investigation that Glanville first reported having thyroid cancer in 2016, records state. She claimed she was ill until the end of 2020 when Lambert confronted her about his suspicions, the charging documents continue, at which point Glanville admitted her story was false.
In January 2016, Glanville’s cousin, Paul Ernst, organized a GoFundMe page for her, raising more than $24,000 from 251 donations and posted in November 2020 that she lied about her illness, and he wrote a “very disturbing update.”
Heino said the investigation did not indicate that anyone else was involved in Glanville’s scheme. Glanville is expected to go to trial in August 2022. If convicted, she could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in the Montana State Prison, a maximum fine of $10,000 or both.