A Fairfield woman is facing serious criminal charges after authorities say she falsely claimed to have cancer and collected donations from local school fundraisers and church members.
46- year-old Stacey R. Robbins has been charged with one count of Theft, a Class 2 Felony and one count of Deceptive Practices, a Class 4 Felony. The charges relate to incidents that allegedly took place between November 17, 2024, and March 25, 2025, according to court records.
Assistant State’s Attorney, James Hanson stated in court documents that Robbins is accused of obtaining more than $500 but less than $10,000 through deception. The donations were allegedly gathered from students and faculty at Fairfield Grade Schools during events such as hat day, hot chocolate day, and pink out, as well as from members of the Roads Church in Norris City.
Robbins is accused of allowing both school and church communities to raise funds for her purported cancer treatments, medications, and travel expenses—even though, authorities say, she did not actually have cancer.
The deceptive practices charge also alleges that Robbins permitted an individual to set up a GoFundMe campaign titled “Support Stacey’s Battle Against Cancer” to collect further donations. According to court documents, all transactions exceeded $150 and occurred within a 90-day window.
The case is being prosecuted in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit in Wayne County. Robbins is scheduled to appear for her first hearing at the Wayne County Courthouse on May 26th at 1 p.m.
The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 began investigating Robbins at the request of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. After completing their investigation, special agents submitted their findings to the Wayne County State’s Attorney’s Office.