Washington State Police Allege Sandra Dee Martinez Faked Cancer to Avoid Work

May 15, 2008

Have you ever called in sick to work or school because you didn't feel like going?  If you haven't, you probably know someone who has, and I'm sure you are familiar with all the standard excuses. However, I doubt you or your friends have ever been as inventive as 40-year-old Sandra Dee Martinez, a former employee of the Department of Social and Health Services in Arlington, Wash., who allegedly faked cancer to avoid going to work.

According to police, Martinez was cancer-free last spring, when she forged a letter from phony doctors and gave them to her employer. These letters stated that she had been diagnosed with brain cancer and would need several weeks off for treatment.  The letter also stated that Martinez would not be able to work full time for at least two years.

"When Sandra chooses, she can work and the days she can't she needs to stay home," read the phony letter, which purported to be from a doctor at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Martinez was immediately placed on sick leave and continued to receive her weekly paycheck. When she exhausted her sick days, Martinez then took advantage of her co-workers', who were more than eager to help out by donating their own sick days.

Martinez allegedly sent another phony letter to her employer in June 2007, stating that a blood vessel in her head had burst, causing her to go into a coma. Nonetheless, Martinez apparently made a rapid recovery, as just four days later her "doctor" sent another letter, this time stating Martinez could once again work regular hours, but would need to leave early on certain days so she could undergo chemotherapy. The letter also detailed the types of work Martinez would be capable of doing.

The charade continued until...

Continue Reading Washington State Police Allege Sandra Dee Martinez Faked Cancer to Avoid Work

Comments

[one helluva sucka']

Wow, sounds quite a bit like my ex-girlfriend (from Arlington, WA)!
I dated a woman in her late 30's for a year and a half and even though many of her details are still sketchy to me (she'd lay in to me if when I had doubts about her stories) a year later she basically confessed to me that she didn't have cancer. But before we broke up she'd lived off of me and taken me for quite a financial ride.

[jim]

nancy grace's producers must have found you again! when i followed your work at the criminal library i noticed when you covered a case that was not getting much publicity she would then cover it on her show. i figured it was because you all worked for the same network but now i see that it is still happening and whenever i read those type of cases here she ends up covering them. i just think it is funny. they should pay you for selecting stories for them. apparently they can't do it themselves! lol

jim
retired sgt. nypd

[annoyomous]

She pulled the same stunt in Houston. Milking co-workers for money, air fare to Hawaii for "treatment", sick leave etc! We all have been betrayed by this scam artist! I am so mad!!! I cried tears for this woman when she came back cured and now this? There is a special for her...

[GOLDEN67]

Jim...I would love to hear from you. I have given thousands of dollars to help her. I AM SICK.

[stardog]

She was arraigned today and is being held on 2500 bail at the Snohomish County Jail in WA.

[Former Co-Worker]

I worked w/ this lady at the Smokey Point office. I got the chills immediately when I heard about this story. I helped take her home one day when she was too sick too work. She had most of our staf in tears when she told her life story of being an illiterate runaway foster child. She had this big image of being a great Christian, trusting God would heal her some day. As a Christian myself I can only pray she gets some help for whatever lead her to do this. She talked about talking to little kids w/ cancer while she had her chemo treatments, about how she couldn't pay her bills, we even talked about sharing a place to live--thank God that didn't go through!

[iamsick]

Former Coworker,

Is there anyway I may contact you? I know her and I am heart broken. I believed everything. I met her in Houston and I am bitter. I pray that God will heal her, but I'm still mad.

[David Lohr]

Hello Former Coworker,

Yes, I can be reached at: davidlohr@NOSPAMdavidlohr.net - remove NOSPAM when sending email.

Regards,

David

[SD]

Does anyone know the outcome of this situation? I hope she's in prison. It's not very often that I open my home to anyone, but I allowed her to stay in my home for 1 month because I worked with her and truly thought that she was a good person. Today, was my first time hearing about this and I am still in shock. I suspected that she was lying about having cancer but never in a million years would I have thought that she would do something like this.