A Pennsylvania man who befriended a woman at a harness racing track two years ago has since conned her out of $15,000 by pretending he had cancer, according to state police.
David Lancos, of Baden, told them he used the money to fee his gambling habit, police said.
Police say Lancos, 59, met the Butler County woman at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County in December 2012.
Lancos asked the woman for $300 to cover his monthly medications, later borrowed money for two trips to a Philadelphia cancer center and, finally, $9,000 to help him liquidate his fictional share of a family business — again to pay his nonexistent medical bills.
Lancos is jailed on an unrelated theft charge.
His public defender couldn't immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
