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I need help desperately

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I made a mistake. A big mistake.

I suffer from severe depression, anxiety and PTSD.
I am a rape survivor. I also have stage 2 endometriosis. I've been struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Yes, I am seeking therapy. I have a psychologist and a psychiatrist.
I am on medication. I am trying my hardest to get onto my feet and become independent.

I am in the process of applying for disability.
I'm also going to be tested for autism soon.

In the meantime I needed help.

I applied for food stamps and public assistance and during the process I asked if DSS needed to see my paypal account. I told them I made art online but it wasn't very much and not enough to cover my rent costs at the time. The advice I was given regarding that was a bit ambiguous and confusing for me to understand. What I thought they meant by the advice given to me was that it didn't seem necessary and probably wouldn't be enough to affect my benefits, therefore I didn't really need to worry about reporting it.

It's very difficult for me to understand the kinds of paperwork related to this stuff. So I trusted what I thought I understood from the advice given to me.

So I didn't bring in the paypal statements initially. I got approved and have been getting benefits for a little over a year. Re-certification came around and I asked again. I brought up at the re-certification that I was still doing art online to make money and asked if there was a way I could show that income, such as bringing in printed out pdf statements from paypal. This time they said yes, absolutely they needed to see those. Told me to print them out and bring them in and it'd all be sorted out.

I immediately got my paperwork together and brought it in. I've done everything I can to make sure the paperwork is in order and delivered as soon as they requested it.

Next thing I knew I was in a room with officers and investigators, being read my rights and questioned.

I've been charged with a few misdemeanors and felonies that have to do with 'intentional fraud'.

I've never even had a parking ticket before.

I have been going to court trying to fix this mess for a couple months now. I'm so ragged from anxiety that my depression is diving at an intense rate. I am terrified of the outcome of this. I was beginning to consider suicide. I would rather be dead than be called a liar and a criminal when I know I'm innocent. I made a paperwork error. I didn't intentionally defraud anyone. If I had, why would I continually bring it up and mention it? I'm the one who kept telling them "Hey, I have a paypal, do you need that?"

The lawyer I have right now has spoken to the ADA and is working on an agreement that if I can pay back the restitution, the overpayment, then they will drop the criminal charges against me and have me just take an infraction. 

I have to pay it back in 30 days. The full amount is about 3300. I'd need to pay rent as well, and gas money, and food budget for this month, so I put the gofund me for 4000.

Even if I don't make enough, even if it's just half, it'd be a great help. I'll do whatever I can to try and make this up and move on from this.

I just want to move on with my life and live normally.
I don't know what to do. I will not survive going to jail if a jury decides to side with DSS. I'd rather die than be made a criminal.

Please. Please help me overcome this. I can't do this on my own. I don't make enough at all.

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Organizer

Sarah Martinelli
Organizer
Mohawk, NY

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