Influencer mother speaks out after scamming loved ones out of £15,000 by faking cancer

The reprehensible Haleigh Morgan Knight has addressed her crimes of faking a cancer diagnosis and defrauding her loved ones.

Originating from the US state of Nevada, the social media personality plead guilty several months ago before finally being sentenced to 30 days behind bars last week.

Knight will be imprisoned at her local Clark County Detention Center, followed by a further two years of probation once she's free and restitution payments.

Judge Jessica Peterson told her at the courthouse: "You changed people's lives for your own selfishness and your own greed."

Her scheme consisted of alleging to be linked to the luxury hotel industry, telling investors they were entering into business together and that she was simultaneously battling pancreatic cancer.

This supposed health crisis caused many of her victims not to raise concerns over missing funds, which eventually reached the $19,787 (£14,940) mark.

The so-called content creator kept playing the cancer card despite being free from the disease (Court TV)

"Over the last year, I've continued working, supporting my family, getting the help I need to better understand the choices I made to make sure I never find myself in this position again," Knight's statement began, per KSNV.

"I respectfully ask the court to give me the opportunity to continue moving forward, make restitution, support my family, and prove through my actions that I can learn from this and be a better person."

Also in attendance for the ruling was Cydney Fink, who revealed that she and another relative hoped to collaborate with Knight as travel creators.

"We were excited to build something meaningful together as a family," she commented.

"She played on her emotions and faked cancer as an attempt to take the heat off of her," said another victim. "We held back and didn't press her for the deposit returns. Instead, meals were taken to her, her children were babysat for her, donations were given, all in trying to help her with her cancer."

Knight was seemingly using family's dreams against them 'to gain our trust and take our money'.

"She made everything look legitimate," they added. "She created fake contracts, impersonated company representatives, and used multiple phone numbers to make the communication seem authentic. Because of that deception, we paid thousands of dollars and what we were told were refundable trip deposits."

Horrendously, one victim's partner even stepped down from his full-time job so that they could work and travel as a family.

"Those were real sacrifices made in good faith," she noted.