Iredell sheriff: Woman ran fundraising scam for young girl with life-threatening illness

Authorities said a woman ran a fundraising scam for a young girl with a life-threatening illness. Tammy Ann Domenick, 53, formerly of Buckingham Court, Troutman, is facing six counts of felony obtaining property by false pretense. She is currently in custody in Arizona awaiting extradition to Iredell County.

Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell, in a news release, said that a woman filed a report last July claiming she had been scammed out of money donated to a reported charitable organization.

The victim's mother told deputies that she met Domenick online and started what she believed was a friendship with her, Campbell said.

Domenick presented herself as a marketing professional from the New York metropolitan area and had high level marketing and social media skills, Campbell said. The mother said her young daughter has a terminal illness and Domenick offered to start a fundraising campaign for her, Campbell said. The plan, Campbell said, was to host a major event called LKN Fest and was to use social media, news media and marketing to attract sponsors and donors. The beginnings of the plan, he said, called for "Sip n' Shop" events throughout the Mooresville area to build up the event, Campbell said.

Detective Craig Scanella with the Iredell County Sheriff's Office Economic Crimes Unit began an investigation and interviewed the victim's mother and numerous other vendors and sponsors who had signed up to assist with the event, Campbell said. All of these individuals and businesses donated money, jewelry, clothes, photo booths, health products and food, he said. Scannella obtained financial statements and bank receipts from the vendors.

Campbell said the vendors and the victim's mother said the smaller events were a failure and the LKN Fest never became what Domenick promised.

Scannella soon learned that each vendor had a promissory contract from Domenick stating LKN Fest would be sold out due to being highly advertised on the news, social media and billboards, Campbell said. The vendors said none of this ever occurred and none of the vendors ever saw any financial return on their investment, and the victim's family did not receive donation money from Domenick as she promised, Campbell said. At this time, the total amount of money unaccounted for is $29,174.99, he said.

After gathering all the evidence, Scannella attempted to contact Domenick, who said that she was no longer in North Carolina and was now in California, Campbell said. Domenick had also shut down all of her business' social media pages, he said.

Scannella learned Domenick was in Arizona and started a new company that directly mirrored the one she was operating in North Carolina, Campbell said. Scannella contacted law enforcement in Mesa, Arizona, and made them aware of the warrants. Scannella then applied for and was granted full extradition of Domenick and authorities in Arizona were able to locate and arrest her.

She is currently in custody in Arizona and is fighting extradition back to North Carolina.

She has no listed criminal history.