Leigh pleaded guilty to five counts of larceny by false pretenses and one count of making a false claim to a government agency.
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One Fund Boston President James Gallagher said Leigh carried out a “campaign to malign the charitable group” based on false claims, and that her actions “went far beyond the $8,000 she admits to stealing”.
Authorities say Leigh was at the April 2013 marathon but wasn’t hurt.
Judge Peter Krupp sentenced 41-year-old Joanna Leigh, a Jamaica Plain resident, to a three-month probation term.
Leigh attended a viewing party for the marathon but left the area before the bombs exploded.
The Boston Police Department and prosecutors in Conley’s office built the case against Leigh through a painstaking examination of her financial and medical records, as well as a review of video surveillance, witness testimony and medical opinions. They also investigated her statements in the days after the bombing, and the different and contradictory stories she told local and national media outlets.
Leigh had claimed she was running to help a victim when she was “blown back” by the second blast.
The One Fund was set up in the weeks following the bombings in order to support those most affected by the tragedy.
Leigh also was ordered to pay restitution, perform community service, undergo a mental health evaluation and take part in any necessary treatment, he said.
“But for Miss Leigh’s criminal conduct, this generously donated money would have been distributed to victims and survivors of the Marathon during what was undoubtedly the worst time of their lives”, he said.
Leigh received roughly $18,000 from the MA Victims of Violent Crime Compensation program and $9,400 from a personal GoFundMe page.
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Her defense attorney, Norman Zalkind, said his client acted out of stupidity, not venality. But the evidence showed she was actually on Fairfield Street when two bombs detonated at the Marathon finish line, killing three people and wounding more than 260 others. “If she hadn’t lied about certain injuries and had told the truth instead of exaggerating, she would have probably gotten a few money anyway”, he said.
