Prosecutor: Woman Falsely Claimed to Be Marathon Bombing Victim, Accepted Nearly $40K

A woman who claimed to be a victim of the Boston Marathon bombings has been indicted for fraudulently obtaining almost $40,000 and is expected to be arraigned on Monday.

Forty-one-year-old Joanna Leigh of Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood is accused of taking money from several sources after lying about being injured in the attack.

Prosecutors say Leigh was at the marathon, but that she did not seek medical treatment or claim to have suffered from any injuries until about two weeks after the bombings, when she allegedly said she acted as a "hero" and ran toward the second of the two blasts.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Leigh received more than $18,000 from the Massachusetts Victims of Violent Crime Compensation Fund, took an $8,000 payment from One Fund Boston, received more than $9,000 from an online fundraiser and took $1,7000 when a middle school in Mattapan raised money for her.

Leigh personally accepted a check from the school at a ceremony, according to prosecutors.

The suspect faces five counts of larceny by false pretense and a charge of filing a false claim to a government agency.

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