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Troy Woman Accused of One Fund Scam Fights Extradition

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An upstate New York woman accused of scamming almost half a million dollars from the fund for Boston Marathon bombing victims is fighting extradition to Massachusetts. Troy City Court officials say 26-year-old Audrea Gause refused Tuesday to waive her right to an extradition hearing and go voluntarily to face a larceny charge.

The Troy woman was arrested Friday. She's being held on a fugitive warrant.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said Gause got a $480,000 check from the "One Fund Boston" after using faked medical records to claim she was treated at hospitals in Boston and in New York for a traumatic brain injury suffered in the bombings. The Albany  Times Union says she used a large portion of the funds to purchase a home in Clifton Park.

Gause's lawyer, Charles Wilcox, says Tuesday she denies any wrongdoing.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.