A Hernando woman faked having breast cancer, then collected thousands of dollars of donations from her family and community, deputies said.

According to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, Kelly Johanneson, 36, disappeared for about a month in late 2013, then resurfaced and told her loved ones that she had Stage IV breast cancer and that she had been at Moffitt Cancer Center for testing.

Johanneson asked her family members for help to pay for doctor's appointments and specifically asked for cash, deputies said. Her friends and family gave her hundreds of dollars.

Her loved ones then reached out to the community to raise funds to help pay for Johanneson's medical bills, deputies said. They set up a donation site on GoFundMe that collected at least $4,400.

Deputies said various fundraisers were held for Johanneson, including a large event put on by the Citrus County Airboat Alliance, which raised an undetermined amount of cash.

Detectives received a complaint in September, and they began interviewing Johanneson's friends and close associates, and they learned that no one had actually been to the doctor with Johanneson or had any proof that her claims of having cancer were actually true.

Detectives then interviewed Johanneson, who told them she had been to the the Moffitt Cancer Center. Johanneson also provided them with the names of doctors, and they received paperwork that appeared to be from Moffitt in reference to her care, deputies said.

When detectives tried to validate her story by contacting Moffitt Cancer Center, they learned the center never had a patient by the name of Kelly Johanneson.  They also could not verify that she was a patient by using her date of birth or her Social Security number.

Detectives said Moffitt also confirmed that the paperwork they were given was fraudulent.

The case was brought to the State Attorney's Office, which issued a warrant for Johanneson's arrest. She is now facing charges of organized fraud, which is a third-degree felony.

"This is the first case in Citrus County of it's kind," Detective John Bergen said. "It just seems so implausible that someone would use a horrible illness like cancer for personal gain. Johanneson hurt so many people, from people that loved her to people that hardly knew her but wanted to help."

Detectives believe there may be other victims who donated to Johanneson's false cause. Those people are asked to call 352-249-2720 or email jbergen@sheriffcitrus.org.