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Woman who told fibs about medical problems gets 15 years

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December 10th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo woman has been given a 15-year sentence for scamming a couple out of thousands of dollars by saying she had a kidney transplant, tumors and other medical problems. Black Hawk County court records say 47-year-old Shawn Adams was sentenced Friday. She was convicted Nov. 15 of theft and false reports. She’s also known as Shawn Tomkins.

Prosecutors say she got nearly $58,000 in aid from the Waterloo couple after telling them her tale of woe. Prosecutors say she accused one of one of them of sexually abusing her son when they discovered her scam. In June she was sentenced in Grundy County for an unrelated theft. Prosecutors say she took people to a farm in rural Dike in December 2017, selling them items that she falsely said were hers.