Inside the alleged cancer con: Cupid came calling for cash

Romancing the Ex

Action News obtained several photos that reportedly show Mary Ann at a dating mixer. They were taken allegedly four months into her "six months into live" cancer diagnosis, or so she had people believe.

The event was hosted in 2011 by Mary Ann and a friend for their new Jacksonville business called "They love me, They love me knots." The company advertised as a "premier unique dating service." Action News also even found a Facebook page and a website.

But, according to detectives, Mary Ann was no matchmaker. 

It's something Kevin Brownlee knows all too well. "Narcissist. Psychopath. Evil."

Action News Lynnsey Gardner asked Brownlee, "You truly believe Mary Ann McCall is evil?"

Brownlee: I do.
Gardner: Do you often ask why you?
Brownlee: Maybe because she knew I would help people in need.

Brownlee says he first met Mary Ann in middle school in Georgia. They dated a long time ago, and then recently, Mary Ann reconnected with him on Facebook, romancing him again from Florida. "Her uncle and her asked me to go to the owners of my company and ask for some help, ask for a donation for Mary Ann to help while she goes through chemo, while she fights cancer."

He told Action News he first got three to four thousand from his job in Georgia. But, Mary Ann still later asked for more money. Brownlee got another few thousand dollars, he also got a pink slip. He says he was fired and accused of taking advantage.  Later, he says he found out how she actually spent the money. "She used that money to take vacations."

Action News found a similar story, but this one involved a different dating web site and a businessman we'll call "Todd."

The arrest affidavit says they met on eHarmony and, soon after, she told him she had breast cancer.

"It's shocking. It's very much shocking...I was determined to be the hero."

Detectives say she took him for almost $75,000.

Todd also put Mary Ann on the payroll and gave her a salary and health insurance for doing nothing. He also reached deeper in his own pockets for what he believed to be life-saving cancer treatments out of town; he believes she blew that on a girls trip to New York City.

"It's unreal. I mean you can never imagine that this woman is that good, and that this many intelligent people are this foolish."

Gardner: Do you feel stupid?
Todd: Yeah, absolutely. You feel very foolish.

How an undercover officer cracked the case

Action News also uncovered how the investigator from Clay County came across Mary Ann. Instead of a dating web site, the undercover officer met her through her child's school. According to the same arrest affidavit, this past November, the undercover investigator posed as a good samaritan. He gave Mary Ann gift cards because she said she needed money for her prescriptions and car insurance bills. Instead, the investigator tracked Mary Ann using those cards to shop at Target, Spencer's, and Michaels.

When questioned, police say she confessed. For Brownlee, Mary Ann's mark on his life isn't as open and shut of a case. "My life isn't ruined, but it could have ruined my career. For two and a half years, I stressed about it every day and she knew that, but yet, she didn't care."

Gardner: What's justice for you, Kevin?
Brownlee: I don't know if it's justice but satisfaction...nothing short of life in prison.

Also according to the arrest report, Mary Ann also conned several teachers, a principal at a Clay County middle school and quite a few neighbors. One couple in her high-end Eagle Harbor neighborhood said after hearing of her alleged cancer, they paid Mary Ann's water bill, got her free Lay-Z-Boy furniture and free food from Panera for a whole year.

Now that McCall is in jail, detectives say the State Attorney's Office will handle trying to get some money back, if there is any, to this growing list of victims.

Investigators tell Action News their work on this case is still not over. They add it's possible more charges could be filed against McCall if more victims come forward.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office wants you to call them if you feel you were scammed by Mary Ann McCall. That number is (904) 264-6512. The CCSO also wants to remind you that, if you do want to contribute to someone in need, it is best to go through a well-known organization or charity rather than an individual.