Prosecutors called the charges against a Brooklyn couple accused in a fake funeral scam in Lynbrook "disturbing" during a court appearance Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Brittney Schmidt, 30, Vincent Fina, 29, and their son went into several stores on Merrick Road on Feb. 21 to solicit donations for the funeral of a 5-year-old boy.
They say the actual 5-year-old does have brain cancer but is not dead. The grandmother of the 5-year-old told News 12 that she believes the couple took the picture of the boy from a GoFundMe online fundraiser and put it on a canister to solicit donations from Lynbrook business.
"There are allegations that this went on for months in Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau County," says Diane Peress, of the Nassau District Attorney's Office. "We are working together with the police department to identify others who have donated to this scam."
Prosecutors are asking anyone who believes they may have been scammed to call 516-571-2149.