A New Jersey woman— with ties to multiple other states — is wanted for allegedly defrauding Pennsylvania hospitals of more than $600,000 by faking a sickle cell diagnosis and has been raising money online for assisted suicide in Switzerland, Pennsylvania State Police announced and GoFundMe confirmed to Daily Voice on Tuesday, March 18.
Taleah McKnight, 30, also known as Abygail Brooks, Chemory Brooks, Taleah Brooks, and Leah Osei, has an active arrest warrant for theft by deception and theft of services, East Hempfield Township Police in Lancaster County said on Thursday, March 14.
McKnight has previously lived at addresses in Roselle Park and Rahway, Union County, as well as Carteret, Middlesex County, New Jersey, according to public records.
From 2022 to 2024, McKnight allegedly entered multiple medical facilities across south-central Pennsylvania claiming to suffer from sickle cell anemia, providing a fraudulent document on her phone to support her claims, police said. Medical staff became suspicious and later confirmed she did not have the disease, investigators stated.
McKnight allegedly used this scheme to obtain extensive medical treatments at several hospitals, racking up services exceeding $600,000. Authorities say she provided a fake New Jersey ID but has a valid Texas driver’s license and was transported to and from hospitals in a vehicle with New Jersey registration. McKnight also has a prior criminal record in Oklahoma, according to police.
Despite the charges, McKnight has been actively fundraising online for what she calls a ‘peaceful ending’ via physician-assisted death in Switzerland. Under the alias “Leah McKnight-Brooks,” she launched a GoFundMe campaign claiming to be terminally ill with multiple chronic conditions, including lupus, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension.
In the fundraiser, McKnight asserts she has been living in hospitals for years and that her medical team has exhausted all treatment options. She claims to have raised the necessary funds for the procedure but needs additional money for travel and lodging. The campaign, titled “Help Leah Achieve a Peaceful Ending in Switzerland,” has raised over $6,800 of its $9,500 goal as of Tuesday, March 18.
Daily Voice reached out to GoFundMeand initially the campaign was verified, meaning the company’s trust and safety team has contacted McKnight-Brooks validating her bank details, and confirmed that she would be the person receiving the money from the fundraiser. The following day Daily Voice was informed, there is an investigating ongoing by GoFundMe and an official statement was sent to us by a GoFundMe spokesperson reading as follows:
“Protecting our donors and their generosity is a top priority at GoFundMe. We have zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and take any such reports very seriously. This fundraiser is currently under review with our Trust & Safety team. If any donor would like to request a refund in the meantime, we will process it for them.”