Cudahy woman uses cancer, family death, eviction to bilk money from generous neighbors

CUDAHY -- She told her neighbors her husband died of cancer. She even used her 12-year-old boy to ask for donations.  But it was all a lie.

35-year-old Nicole Lee Leer used the generousity of neighbors against them.  A criminal complaint alledges she made up stories about her husband dying from cancer, daughter dying in a motorcycle accident, and trouble paying the mortgage as reasons she needed money. 

One victim is an 85-year-old woman who alledgedly gave her $26,000 over a few months. 

Neighbors can't believe someone would do such a thing.

\"Having lost family members to cancer that's even more despicable that you would use something like that to dupe older people especially more vulnerable and more kind it's just horrible,\" Mary Kilpatrick said.

\"I brought her to my house to see my wife and talk a litlte bit about her story of her husband having cancer,\" Leonil Otero said.

Leer faces two felony charges in the case and could face more than 20 years in prison.