Cancer con artist caught returning from lavish holiday / 9 News
Cancer con artist Belle Gibson is under fire again for living a luxurious life despite having a whopping $400,000 (NZD $416,000) fine hanging over her head.
The disgraced wellness guru, who faked her terminal cancer diagnosis, was sprung at Melbourne Airport returning home from a five-week luxury holiday in EastAfrica at an estimated cost of $15,000.
That's despite the former blogger facing jail time if she doesn't pay the fine, with authorities once again pursuing her in the Federal Court.
For years, Gibson lied about having cancer and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from well-meaning Aussies, promising to donate her profits to charity.
She's tried to keep a low profile since her empire crumbled after her fraud was exposed, but the Australian television show, "A Current Affair" pounced on her at the end of her expensive jaunt abroad.
Gibson was penalised in the Federal Court in September 2017 for five breaches of Australian Consumer Law, after falsely claiming she had brain cancer but had healed herself with natural remedies.
She also lied to supporters about donating money from her Whole Pantry app and book sales to various charities, including a boy with inoperable brain cancer.
A Current Affair confronted Belle Gibson at Melbourne Airport. Photo / Channel 9
In November, Federal Court Justice Debra Mortimer issued a warning to Gibson that failure to pay the penalty would make her liable for jail, property seizures or other punishment.
The Wellness Pantry app was incredibly popular, downloaded more than 300,000 times at $3.79 a pop.
During her 60 Minutes appearance - an interview that allegedly landed Gibson $75,000 - the disgraced blogger said she was the victim.
"I didn't trade in on my story or in other people's lives," she said. "I'm not trying to get away with anything."
