Police: NJ woman claimed her child had leukemia to avoid theft, forgery charges

Law enforcement officials say a Mays Landing woman will face additional charges after she, allegedly, lied to officials and claimed her child needed special treatment at a leukemia center in Texas in order to avoid facing prosecution in a case that claims she stole thousands from her former employer.

According to Ocean County officials, Alicia Campbell, 37, of Mays Landing, was charged on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, with tampering with public records, impersonation, forgery, obstruction of justice and related charges after she, allegedly, attempted to avoid prosecution on existing charges for theft, forgery and other offenses.

Campbell, officials said, was initial charged -- and surrounded to police officials last year -- after an investigation found that, while she was employed as lifestyle director of Greenbriar Oceanaire Community & Golf Course in Waretown, New Jersey, Campbell stole more than $175,000 from her employer.

Officials claim that, as she was tasked with providing entertainment, planning events, and purchasing items for the senior community, between 2019 and 2022, Campbell utilized funds belonging to her employer for her own personal use, in an amount exceeding $81,000.

Then, officials said, using a Venmo account, Campbell sent money to third parties from the senior community's account, only to have those funds returned to her personal bank account, in an amount exceeding $94,000.

In March of last year, Campbell surrendered to police after being charged with theft from her former employer and, police said, she was served a summons for her first court appearance.

However, after she was arraigned for charges relating to these allegations earlier this year, police official said in April, Campbell told the court that her child would need to undergo treatment for leukemia in Philadelphia.

During this past summer, Campbell claimed her child's leukemia treatments were not successful and, police said, she told court officials that the child would need to be transferred to Texas Children's Hospital for "imminent and urgent care."

She then submitted documentation, purportedly from doctors treating her child at that Texas hospital, to the court, officials said.

These documents caused the court to grant adjournments of Campbell's pending case in order to provide her time to care for, what court officials believed, was her ailing child, police said.

Then, in August, Campbell once again requested an adjournment of her case and, officials said, she claimed that her child was still receiving care from the leukemia program at the Texas Children's Hospital.

Officials said she again submitted paperwork along with this claim and the documentation that detailed her child's alleged treatment was on letterhead from the Texas Children's Hospital.

However, court officials claim a review of this documentation found the address of the hospital was incorrect and there was no contact information for the doctor who allegedly wrote the letter for Campbell.

An investigation into this document, police said, found that the letter was allegedly a forgery and the hospital had never met with or had any knowledge of Campbell and never provided any care for her child.

On Oct. 29, 2024, Campbell was charged with additional offenses related to the alleged forgery and was taken into police custody, officials said.

She is currently awaiting a detention hearing.