Co-workers donated 1,550 personal hours to woman who lied about breast cancer

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28321669/

Co-workers gave 1,550 off-duty hours to Maynor
By Jacqueline Koch, jkoch@timesfreepress.com
The Chattanooga Times Free Press

updated 10:18 p.m. PT, Fri., Dec. 19, 2008

Chattanooga, Tenn. - A former city employee who admitted to lying about her battle with breast cancer was paid more than $10,000 -- money she otherwise would not have received -- after employees donated personal days to her.

Keele Maynor, 37, began receiving personal days in August 2003 from other employees, who believed she needed the time off to cope with her disease, according to her personnel file, made available by the city. During the next five years, she was paid more than $10,000 for more than 1,550 hours that she did not work.

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In an e-mail to her supervisor obtained by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Ms. Maynor said she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and was cleared after radiation in 2001. She said she started fabricating the story in 2003 "and it has snowballed and finally came to a head," according to the e-mail.

She abruptly quit her position as an administrative assistant with the Department of Land Use Development on Dec. 12, saying in her resignation letter made available by the city that she had been "untruthful" with city employees.

A girl I went to undergrad with lied about being raped on campus so she could get a medical single room in the dorm (very hard to come by and only for people with physical/mental needs.) This was a very, very small town, so naturally everyone was completely shaken up by the accusation. She recanted once police began questioning her ever changing story.

I guess it happens because we do not think a person can stoop so low.

hours to our coworkers, too, but a person can't just SAY she has breast cancer or whatnot -- it goes through a medical vetting process at the sr mgmt level, and THEN the person is allowed to ask coworkers to donate. Regular physician updates/notes, etc., are required, all to prevent the all too common attempts at fraud just like this one.