MARIETTA, Ga. -- A Marietta woman has been sentenced after being accused of falsely claiming her child was terminally ill in order to raise money.
On August 26, Joannessa Ann Clawson pleaded guilty to forgery in the first degree, identity fraud, false swearing, and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
In March 2015, staff members at Mountain View Elementary expressed concerns when Clawson's child missed several days of school and even appeared to have her hair “hacked off.” The family claimed the child was in the hospital, battling a life-threatening heart condition.
Officials suspected fraud after discovering a GoFundMe page designed to generate donations for the child. However, when law enforcement officials visited the Clawson house, the child ran to the door, appearing to be in “perfect” health.
According to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office, an investigation later revealed that when suspicions were raised about the GoFundMe account, Clawson forged a note by a real physician, claiming to be treating the child. The telephone number on the note was traced back to Clawson’s mother.
Calwson also pleaded guilty to all charges in an earlier, unrelated case, in which she was charged with nine counts of financial transaction card fraud, nine counts of deposit account fraud, and one count of false report of a crime.
Clawson’s mother, Patti Ann Baldassarre, was charged with conspiracy to commit theft by deception in the GoFundMe case, but Clawson exonerated her mother and the charge has been abandoned. Clawson’s husband, James Clawson has pending charges of false swearing and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
Clawson was sentenced to 10 years, with one year to serve in custody and the balance on probation. She surrendered to Cobb County Jail on Saturday to begin serving her sentence.