Jackson-Laughing denies forging new document

New charges were brought against Jennifer Jackson-Laughing and her husband, Frank Laughing regarding a second document police say was forged.

Laughing-Jackson and Laughing were initially arrested in May of this year when a police investigation uncovered that they had allegedly lied about their 4-year-old daughter having colon cancer and had benefited from the lie by collecting donations of money over a 4-5 month period. Police have statements from the child’s doctor’s office stating that he performed a colonoscopy on the girl in March and found her to have a completely healthy colon. Donations were made to the child in the form of benefit dances, auctions and collection jars up until the couple’s arrest.

The first forged document police charged the couple with having was a colonoscopy report from Dr. Michael D’Amico’s office at the Fletcher Allen Health Care’s Vermont Children’s Hospital in Burlington.

The couple told Indian Time in an interview earlier this month that a man had been scamming them of thousands of dollars for radiation treatments for the child while pretending to be Dr. D’Amico. They said the fake doctor met them in a waiting room and took the child away and brought her back to the same room when she was finished. The couple said they made several cash payments to the man.

The couple said the fake doctor claimed he was Dr. D’Amico when they began seeing him in February of this year in Burlington. In March, the couple met with the real Dr. D’Amico who performed a colonoscopy on the child and said she had a healthy colon, court records show. The doctor’s office reported that they had performed the colonoscopy to address complaints of stomach pain and that the child had been found to have acid reflux and was prescribed an acid reflux medicine. However, the paperwork the couple presented to Indian Time from that colonoscopy stated that the child’s colon was damaged along with her esophagus. Unbeknownst to Indian Time, police had already determined that document to be forged and had previously charged Laughing with being in possession of a forged instrument. Both Laughing and Laughing-Jackson were additionally charged with endangering the welfare of a child, grand larceny, and scheme to defraud.

On June 15, the couple was arrested for the second time and both were charged with possessing a forged instrument based on a document presented to authorities weeks after their initial arrest.

According to court records, Jackson-Laughing’s probation officer had notified her on June 4 that she was required to submit medical documentation to confirm her pregnancy, which is a standard requirement of women who are released from jail due to a pregnancy. On June 7, the probation officer reminded his client again to submit pregnancy documentation. She told him that she had made an appointment to have the test done on June 9. On June 10, Jackson-Laughing and Laughing reported to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Station and presented a document dated May 20, 2010 with the Alice Hyde Medical Centre (Malone hospital) logo stating Jackson-Laughing tested positive for pregnancy and was 23 weeks along. Police contacted the hospital which had no record of anyone by Jackson-Laughing or Laughing’s name having attended the hospital for any service on that date and the hospital denied having given the couple the document, resulting in new charges being filed against them.

St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Detective Matt Rourke said the charges are not based on whether or not Jackson-Laughing is pregnant, but on the fact that the couple was in possession of a forged document.

Jackson-Laughing told Indian Time that the document is not fake. She would not respond to further questions, stating her lawyer had advised her not to.

Police began their investigation into the cancer claims when they received a complaint from the child’s school nurse and director at a local Headstart program. According to court records the school had made several documented attempts to receive healthcare information from Jackson-Laughing for the child, as they require from any child with an illness. The nurse’s log shows she reminded Jackson-Laughing for the paperwork on several occasions, and then asked for the doctor’s name instead so the school could call directly. Jackson-Laughing said she couldn’t remember his name and would let the school know at a later time. When she failed to do so, the school called Jackson-Laughing’s parents and asked a relative who answered the phone for the child’s doctor’s name. They gave the school the name they’d been given by the child’s parents of Dr. D’Amico. The school called Dr. D’Amico’s office and police were soon called to investigate a possible fraud.

An employee in Dr. D’Amico’s office gave a statement to police that after being called by the school, she asked Jackson-Laughing in a second appointment about the claims her daughter’s school were making that the child had colon cancer.

The employee said Jackson-Laughing told her, “(Child’s name) does not have cancer. She has acid reflux. That is another child in her ballet class with the same name. I will take the forms to that family for you.”

The woman said that wasn’t necessary and she’d get the forms to the proper family.

Court records show that the couple received more than $10,000 from individuals and businesses donating to their child for her cancer-related expenses including hotel costs and gas money. They received approximately $5,000 from a benefit dance and a private restaurant owner who heard about the sick child on the radio contacted Laughing to donate $5,000. She told police in a statement that two weeks after giving the family $5,000 Laughing came to her requesting more money, stating that the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe was refusing to pay for the child’s medical bills. The woman said she gave them an additional $2000, and another $500 on a separate date for a total of $7,500.

Jackson-Laughing and Laughing said they were scammed by an imposter doctor and they hope to take a loan out in order to repay everyone who donated to them. They are due back in court on Aug. 17.