Police: Suspect lied about childhood cancer to get out of court

WARETOWN – Police said a suspect in a case lied about her child’s cancer treatment to delay legal proceedings.

Alicia Campbell, 37, of Mays Landing, was charged with tampering with public records or information, impersonation, forgery, obstruction of justice and making an unsworn false statement to authorities.

The original charges against her are theft, financial facilitation and forgery, all related to her former position as Lifestyle Director at Greenbriar Oceanaire Community & Golf Course.

Police said between January 2019 and January 2022, she used association funds and purchased items for her own personal use and benefit. In addition, she sent digital money from the association’s accounts to third parties, but that money was immediately returned to her and deposited into her personal bank account. The total theft of association funds exceeds $175,000.

Campbell was indicted by an Ocean County grand jury on January 3, 2024, on charges of theft, financial facilitation and forgery; she was indicted on these charges on February 4. In April, she claimed her minor child was undergoing treatment for leukemia in Philadelphia.

In the summer of 2024, she informed the court that treatments in Philadelphia were unsuccessful and it was necessary for her child to be transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital for urgent care, police said.

Campbell submitted to the Court documentation from the physicians who treated her child and based on what was submitted, the Court granted several stays on Campbell’s pending case so that she could continue the care necessary for the well-being of her child. She asked for another postponement in August, claiming her child was still being cared for in Texas. She submitted a letterhead document — purportedly from the Texas Children’s Hospital Leukemia Program — detailing her child’s condition and treatment regimen, police said.

Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office staff learned that the hospital’s address was incorrect, and that there was no additional contact information for the doctor who allegedly wrote the letter. Further investigation by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Squad revealed that the letter was in fact a forgery and that the hospital never even met Campbell – nor provided any care for her child.

Campbell was charged with additional offenses on October 29 and taken into custody without incident at her Mays Landing home.

Ocean County First Assistant Prosecutor Michael T. Nolan, Jr. commended the work of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad, as well as the Ocean Township Police Department, for their joint efforts in connection with these investigations.