Arizona woman who faked cancer for free abortion found guilty of cheating veterans' organization

An Arizona woman, previously accused of faking her cancer to make the government pay for an abortion, has now been convicted of scamming a veterans' organization for tens of thousands of dollars.

Chalice Renee Zeitner was found guilty of defrauding charities at Veterans Hope and Armed Forces Racing and spending $25,000.

Zeitner, 31, used multiple identities to forge relationships with the organizations. In one case, she claimed to be a Marine Corps veteran, in the second a race-car driver, and a South African attorney in the third.

She also opened a credit card account using personal information from the founder of Veterans Hope.

Zeitner has been convicted of two counts of fraud schemes, two counts of theft and one count each of money laundering and identity theft, the Arizona Republic newspaper reported. This adds to her 11 counts of fraud and forgery of which she was convicted in April, after her cancer-for-abortion scheme.

She is scheduled to appear in the Maricopa County Superior Court for sentencing on September 8.

It appears that in 2010, Zeitner, who was enrolled in the Arizona health care program, told her doctor that she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. She claimed that her fetus had been affected by the treatment.

Even after her baby was said to be healthy, Zeitner faked a letter from another doctor who stated that pregnancy posed a risk to her life and had to be terminated. The prosecution said that that doctor that performed the abortion did not find signs of either cancer or the claimed treatments.

The health care program Zeitner used covers the cost of abortions in limited circumstances, such as when a mother's life is endangered.

Zeitner is due to be sentenced on August 12.