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Trial Date Set For Molino Couple In Alleged Cancer Scam
May 6, 2011
A trial date was set Thursday for a Molino couple accused in a fake cancer scam that raised thousands of dollars.
Sonja Marsell Luker, 42, and Gerald Christopher “Chris” Luker, 43, are set to appear in court on July 20 for a discovery hearing. Their jury trial is set to begin August 1 on felony charges of fraud and grand theft.
Both were absent from their arraignment hearing on Thursday after entering not guilty pleas and waiving arraignment late last month.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, numerous fundraisers were held between May 2004 and October 2010 that raised over $19,000. Evidence shows that about $14,000 was used to avoid foreclosure on their home in 2009 and about $4,000 in cash was used by Chris Luker to purchase a 1997 Harley motorcycle.
The Sheriff’s Office investigation found that Chris and Sonja Luker personally received money from friends, family, church members and co-workers under a “scheme” that Sonja Luker was being treated for cancer. Investigators believe both Chris and Sonja Luker are guilty of fraud in the scheme; witnesses said the couple was observed together at fundraisers talking about her cancer treatments.
For an earlier story about the arrests, click here.
Pictured above: Sonja and Chris Luker (in black shirts) are seen in a 2009 NorthEscambia.com photo from a motorcycle ride fundraiser that benefited her alleged fight against cancer. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
19 Responses to “Trial Date Set For Molino Couple In Alleged Cancer Scam”
cont: and put these criminals behind bars. EMAIL, CALL, SHOW UP, whatever you need to do, lets join forces and let it be know that we are not going to take this crime as a pat on the back.
If I were them, I’d pack up and move. I wouldn’t want to show my face. How embarrassing!!! I hope the stunt they pulled won’t harden any hearts. There are people who are sick and do need help….. and to the people who say they should pay the money back…they spent it all! Look at that new motorcycle!!! It makes me sick! Their sin will haunt them for all eternity!
I thought Chemo made you sickly and skinny.
All of the people that donated “even a dime” need to email the judge, and tell him/her how these people stole from, and divided the community, and ask that they receive the maximum sentence!!!! Don’t let the few people who think you should “just get over it”, be the only ones the judge hears from!
@former friend
I can’t believe they’re happy, they know what they are facing, when they are convicted. Even if they don’t get much jail time, surely the judge will order restitution (to be paid to a cancer fund). Their pocket will probably be hit hard. It may be a hard temptation, but don’t give them the satifaction of checking their facebook page. I’m sure they are staging photos for that purpose –to aggrivate the community, and PRETEND they aren’t being bothered by what is going on. A theif might go undetected by their friends, but a true sociopath wouldn’t, and they would have to be true sociopaths for them to not be bothered by this impending trial. Believe me they ARE worried, AND losing sleep!!!
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Sonja and Chris please just go to jail
So we can forget about you!
regarding Robin’s comment:
“these people have no clue what it is really like to have cancer, or even have a relative or family member, or even a close friend that does. obviously”
that’s the sick thing, ya see. they HAVE had family and friends who’ve had cancer and have DIED from it! They have seen cancer up close. These people have no conscience!! I would NEVER wish these two around cancer patients, it’s not fair for the patients to suffer any more than they have to. No, these two deserve prison, not jail, but I doubt they will get that. the system is not that just. but, trust me, I am counting down the days to their trial and hope that the jury will see the truth.
@ mommywit2sweetgirls, will she be able to produce “medical records stating she had cancer? No! If she had them she wouldn’t have been arrested. She was never sick. These are just selfish, conniving people who are in desperate need of Jesus.
I wish everyone would just calm down already over this. They didn’t murder anyone. Just make them do cancer volunteer work for 20 years.
It’s because of people like this that I don’t give $$ to ANYONE! I just don’t trust people and don’t take a chance on wasting the money that my husband and I work our butts off for.
I can’t believe people continued to fall for this scam. WAS the writing NOT ON THE WALL????
People who gave to this are probably the same ones I see giving money to bums on the corner.
Do your own research people…… Scammers are all around you!!!
Well, what do we say to this? Seriously Sonja and Chris take responsibility for what you have done and the pain you have caused. Manipulating people and trying to claim innocence is just not fair to the many people that loved you. A lot of people need closure just admit your sins, take your punishment, and be done. You are always quoting scripture Sonja, but you know what….even Satan quoted scripture.
Well let me tell you, I work at the jail and we have 3 hots and a cot for both…well the 3 hots may be cold and the cot may be uncomfortable, but its jail. We’ll leave the light on for you ( until 10 then its lights out)
I have a dear friend and also my niece both fighting stage 4 lung cancer right now. Neither has asked anyone for a dime nor will they. Some people are just liars and scamming criminals and some are not. May God and our justice system give the lying scamming criminals what they so richly deserve…JAIL TIME !!!!!
This is a disgrace to our community and all cancer patients.i am currently watching my mother suffer in pain as she is dying with cancer.she has been battling this awful disease for 18 years,and it is disgusting that someone would do something like this.there are cancer patients and families who struggle with medical and living expenses while dealing with the disease and treatments.it are people like “the lukers” who ruin the chances of anyone else recieving help and/or financial assistance.if i could post a pic of my mother on here right now as she lays in her hospital bed,you would feel the same as i do.honestly ,the only punishment i can think of for this situation would be for them to actually wear mine our my family’s shoes for a day and to actually care for cancer patients so that they would see what they have taken from someone who is actually in need.anyone that could stoop this low has a serious problem. any person that could actually wish cancer on themself for MONEY really needs a reality check. these people have no clue what it is really like to have cancer, or even have a relative or family member, or even a close friend that does. obviously. what they have done is a very serious thing. this offense should not be taken lightly and they should be punished accordingly. all i can say ,as far as that goes, is may God have mercy on their souls.
i don’t kno what to really say about all this with the luker’s cause my child was very close to them throughout her”sickness”…..my husband and i watched our child watch this women go through being sick for the first 3 years and was there most of the time and and the interesting part of it all is,my child would tell us what her nona would be doing while she was staying the nite’s,which would be throwing up in the middle of the night,etc…..i honestly think in my heart that sonja was dearly sick and having the bouts of treatments,injections,etc in relationship to her being sick…my child know’s not to lie,and my husband and i taught both our kids to be honest and don’t tell “stories”…i’m confused about alot of things thats being said in relation to her “sickness”….i do know sonja and chris we’re very good to my kids and me and helped my husband and i out with our kids even when unexpected….as for the sickness thing,i think this women WAS honestly sick to an extent and then gathered by the attention of her friends she befriended,it got carried away and made the lies happen,and when she was “cured” she relentlously made it unknown that she wasn’t sick no more,and from there the lies we’re made…it’s very unfortunate this did happen,and there’s a huge amount of people wondering why,but we all eventually going to learn somehow there’s good people out there in this world,like i explained to my kids,that we all make bad choices and we pay the consequences in our actions….i do hope eventually the lukers will realize what they done and yea there’s no apology big enough to explain in return for their forgiveness,i kno there’s none in my husband’s and mine’s eyes for their actions cause WE had to deal with our child watching this women “suffer” but him and i are going get over it….and yea so is my child…..she know’s that nona and chris was very good people and still is,they just made poor decisions and they are going to pay for them. it is a very sad thing to hear about and i hope it’s not true….if it is,then they need to be punished the right way.
I guess Sonja will plead insanity… and Chris will plead, stupidity?
These two are so full of themselves they think they can fake the mounting evidence against them? C’mon Sonja and Chris, don’t waste more tax payers money and tie up the courts just to stay out of jail a few months longer. Own up to what you’ve done, bite the bullet and do the time.
Were you guys faking your faith in Christ to get more money out of churches? Or did you know it was all collapsing around you, and you tried to find Jesus to save your souls? I sure hope you meant to find Jesus and let Him into your hearts, because if you faked that too, well… we I don’t need to tell you what happens to bad people.
I hope their punishment fits their crime! They have done a lot of damage to a lot of good people, and regardless of what happens, people here have long memories of things like this.
It’s bad enough that these two stole our money, lied for years and faked such an awful illness.
However, it is equally insulting that these two think our community is stupid enough to believe their innocent.
I don’t know how they live with themselves but apparently they aren’t losing sleep over it because they look pretty happy in the Easter pics on Facebook.