A Henderson woman who admitted to defrauding friends out of nearly $20,000 through bogus luxury travel deals and a fabricated pancreatic cancer diagnosis has been sentenced to jail in Clark County court.
Haleigh Morgan Knight used a scheme that prosecutors said began with false promises of high-end travel and content-creation work, then escalated into claims that she had pancreatic cancer when victims started asking for their money back.
According to court documents and testimony reported from the sentencing hearing, Knight told friends they would be partnering with her on travel-related business ventures. Instead, authorities said the plans were fictitious and the promised getaways were repeatedly called off.
An affidavit explained how ‘each time the dates for a trip would be close, an excuse was made as to why the trip fell through and got canceled’.
Among those affected was the Fink family, including Cydney Fink, who believed she would be collaborating with Knight on content creation.
“We were excited to build something meaningful together as a family,” said Cydney.
Prosecutors said Knight later claimed to be suffering from pancreatic cancer, a lie that helped delay questions from victims who wanted their money returned.
“She played on her emotions and faked cancer as an attempt to take the heat off of her,” said one victim according to KSNV.
“We held back and didn’t press her for the deposit returns.”
The same victim said the false diagnosis prompted a wave of support from people who believed Knight was seriously ill, explaining that ‘meals were taken to her, her children were babysat for her, donations were given, all in trying to help her with her cancer’.
They added how Knight had ‘made everything look legitimate’.
“She created fake contracts, impersonated company representatives, and used multiple phone numbers to make the communication seem authentic,” they said.
“Because of that deception, we paid thousands of dollars and what we were told were refundable trip deposits.”
Cydney also said Knight and her family had been welcomed into their home during a period between moves.
Before sentencing, Knight addressed the court and asked for leniency.
“Over the last year, I’ve continued working, supporting my family, getting the help I need to better understand the choices I made to make sure I never find myself in this position again.”
She added: “I respectfully ask the court to give me the opportunity to continue moving forward, make restitution, support my family, and prove through my actions that I can learn from this and be a better person.”
Judge Jessica Peterson rejected that appeal, telling Knight: “You changed people’s lives for your own selfishness and your own greed.”
Knight was ordered to serve 30 days in the Clark County Detention Center. After that, she will be placed on probation, and the court gave her one week to turn herself in to begin the sentence.
She has also been ordered to pay restitution to the victims. Under the plea deal, if she completes probation and pays the full $19,787.12 in restitution, she may ask to have the felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor.
The sentencing brought emotional testimony from victims who said the scheme cost them money, time, trust and relationships, with one describing how the deception changed the course of their life.