Kalispell Woman Sentenced for Theft in Fake Cancer Scheme

The Kalispell woman who pleaded guilty last year to soliciting at least $60,000 in fraudulent contributions under the pretense that she was dying of thyroid cancer was sentenced Jan. 13 to a four-year deferred term in the Montana State Prison.

As part of the sentence meted out in Flathead County District Court, Amy Elizabeth Glanville also must complete 75 hours of community service work, undergo continued mental health counseling and pay more than $30,000 in restitution to the victims who gave the woman money through a GoFundMe account.

The 47-year-old defendant pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge of theft by way of an Alford plea.

An Alford plea occurs when a defendant maintains and asserts their innocence but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence that, if presented to a jury, could result in a conviction.

On Jan. 13, Judge Heidi Ulbricht presided over the high-profile sentencing hearing and imposed a slightly harsher punishment than the state’s recommendation.

In doing so, Ulbricht amended the plea agreement, added an extra year to the deferred sentence and rejected a $30,000 restitution cap. She tacked on an additional $4,760 to the amount Glanville must pay to one victim as restitution for counseling services in response to the trauma incurred due to Glanville’s fraudulent scheme. Additional restitution includes Glanville’s mortgage payments funded by Easthaven Baptist. The court also ordered the charge remain on Glanville’s permanent record, instead of having it be expunged after three years, according to the plea agreement.

Glanville’s parents will pay the restitution, the agreement states.

“The court recognizes that there are victims in the case that suffered monetary damages that need to be compensated,” Judge Ulbricht said. “That includes the counseling. The victims testified that they were traumatized by this event.”

During the sentencing hearing, several victims provided emotional and sometimes tearful testimony describing Glanville as manipulative, cynical and a false believer in Jesus Christ after tricking her church congregation at Easthaven Baptist into raising donations for her fake cancer diagnosis. They also acknowledged she likely had severe mental health issues.

Many of the victims told the court that Glanville’s sentence was too light and advocated for additional community service hours and a higher restitution amount.

“This plea deal feels as though Ms. Glanville is getting a slap on the wrist while those impacted are getting a slap in the face,” a former neighbor to Glanville, who is also a former fellow member of Easthaven Baptist Church, testified during the hearing.

“During the five years Ms. Glanville faked her illness she’s shown an amazing ability to strategically manipulate others while showing complete resolve to do whatever was necessary to get what she wanted,” the neighbor added. “It was a tactical, multi-pronged attack that targeted a community’s compassion, generosity and faith.”

Paul Ernst, Glanville’s cousin who set up a GoFundMe account on her behalf, provided testimony that was read by his wife describing to the crowded courtroom how the family has dealt with lingering impacts.

“My family had to deal with strangers asking for refunds and had our close friends questioning why we had not figured this out sooner,” Ernst wrote in his testimony. “Our fear and pain of losing Amy to cancer lasted for five years and our grief and anger has now spanned over two years.”

Debbie Ray, Glanville’s aunt, testified in support of her niece, telling the court that years of trauma drove her to commit the crime.

In December 2021, Glanville was charged with felony theft 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.

Authorities said at the time of the investigation that 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.

During the investigation, Glanville eventually admitted her story was false.