Madison Russo biography: 13 things about Bettendorf, Iowa scammer

Madison Marie “Maddie” Russo is an American woman who faked having cancer while living in an apartment in Bettendorf, Scott County, Iowa, United States. She is originally from Eldridge, Scott County.

In 1986, Russo’s mother Peggy Russo graduated from North Scott High School in Eldridge. Maddie attended North Scott High School and St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Scott County.

According to Maddie, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on February 10, 2022 and stage 2 pancreatic cancer a few months later. She claimed that she had “a tumor the size of a football that wrapped around her spine”.

To make the story believable, Maddie used images taken from the social media sites of real cancer patients. She managed to convince people she really had cancer when she discussed her cancer journey as a guest speaker at St. Ambrose University, The National Pancreatic Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, USA and on the “Project Purple” podcast.

In 2020, Maddie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, she told North Scott Press. She had been a patient at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa but she was never treated for any cancers or tumors.

Before admitting to being a cancer scammer, Maddie had no criminal history. She tried to justify her decision to scam people via a cancer hoax by telling the court she hoped her fake cancer battle would force her troubled family to focus on her.

Maddie loves to play golf. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In May 2021, she graduated from North Scott High School.
2. In August 2021, she attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Scott County. While attending the university, she worked part-time at John Deere.
3. In October 2022, she announced on TikTok, GoFundMe, Facebook and LinkedIn that had cancer.
4. On January 11, 2023, witnesses with medical experience spoke with the Eldridge Police Department and pointed out many medical discrepancies found in her pictures posted on social media. 
5. As of January 19, 2023, her GoFundMe page raised $37,303 from 438 donors, including Rhonda Miles, the president of the Nikki Mitchell Foundation, a pancreatic cancer foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
6. On January 23, 2023, she was arrested Eldridge Police Department officers while she was in class at St. Ambrose University and booked into the Scott County Jail in Davenport. That day, she was released on $10,000 cash-only bond. She was charged with one count of first-degree theft.
7. On January 24, 2023, GoFundMe confirmed that all donors who sent her money have been refunded.
8. On January 25, 2023, she pleaded not guilty to first-degree theft. That day, a search warrant was served in her residence in Bettendorf. Investigators found a wig, an intravenous pole with a feeding pump filled with cotton swabs, IV tubes, anti-nausea medication prescribed in a relative’s name, a gray 2023 Kia Sportage, a brown Michael Kors purse and a bank deposit slip dated January 19, 2023, among several other things.
9. On January 30, 2023, Eldridge Police Department officers seized $33,230.76 from her. On February 1, 2023, Scott County prosecutors filed a petition to forfeit the amount.
10. In April 2023, she and her attorney Andrea Jaeger filed for a 2023 Kia Sportage and $33,230 from bank accounts to be returned to her.
11. On June 14, 2023, she pleaded guilty to first-degree theft. 
12. On July 12, 2023, she was ordered to pay GoFund Me $36,089.07 and other individual victims and foundations a total of $3,296.72.
13. She was 20 years old when Judge John Telleen gave her on October 20, 2023 a 10-year suspended sentence at the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport. The judge ordered her to pay $39,000 in restitution and a $1,370 fine and complete 100 hours of community service and declined a defense request that would have wiped the conviction off her record if she successfully completes probation.