Authorities have busted a Crestview, Florida mom accused of a jaw-dropping scam exploiting the heartbreaking death of a Houston teen during last year’s deadly Texas floods. The alleged culprit? 28-year-old Maitlin White, now facing double charges for Online Impersonation, court docs reveal.

According to investigators, White masterminded not just one, but TWO bogus fundraising campaigns to capitalize on the tragedy. Posing as the grieving father of 19-year-old Chloe Childress—who tragically drowned in Kerr County serving as a Camp Mystic counselor—White fired up a GoFundMe and a SpotFund, both decked out with photos and heartfelt bios snatched from the Childress family. The solicitations begged for cash, supposedly to help Chloe’s devastated relatives recover.

Chloe Childress / Facebook

But the plot unraveled when Chloe’s real dad spotted the counterfeit donation page bearing his name and alerted authorities. Cops then tracked down a second campaign, also fraudulently using the Childress names. Court papers say both fundraisers went live on July 8, just days after Central Texas was ravaged by flash floods.

Digging deeper, detectives uncovered banking records linking SpotFund to White’s Chime account. They zeroed in on her phone number and recorded a call, where White allegedly confessed to orchestrating both fake donation drives. She reportedly told police she’s a single mom trying to hustle quick cash for her kids—using Chloe’s tragedy as a fast-money scheme.

So far, investigators haven’t disclosed how much dough was funneled into the sham campaigns. 

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