Judge Delays Jail Time for Ex-Cancer Charity CEO

Brianna King was supposed to surrender herself to begin a year sentence on Monday but instead, asked a judge for a delay

A San Diego judge granted a request to delay jail time for the woman accused of stealing money raised to help local families with children battling cancer.

Brianna King appeared in a Downtown courtroom Monday with her newborn child. King was supposed to surrender into custody to begin her year sentence but asked a judge for more time, citing a medical reason.

The judge and prosecutor know the medical reasons given by King’s attorney but said due to health information privacy rules, those details cannot be released to the media.

King pleaded guilty to grand theft in September for stealing thousands of dollars in connection to her time at the helm of the nonprofit WishWarriors.

The district attorney’s office opened a criminal investigation into King after an NBC 7 investigation revealed children profiled by the charity never received the donations they were promised.

King would solicit items and gift cards from stores as donations to auction off at fundraisers, but prosecutors say she would instead use them herself. King would also spend donation money at hair salons, spas and on car payments and other personal bills, prosecutors said. 

King has been ordered to serve a year in prison and five years of probation. Her term was delayed to April 11 because King was pregnant at the time she was sentenced. 

Now, after this new delay, she is scheduled to surrender to authorities on June 21.

However, she will have to serve an additional 45 days, the judge ruled.

King has told NBC 7 Investigates she does not wish to discuss the sentencing and has refused to answer any questions about the charges and investigation.

She was ordered to continue making restitution payments for what she stole from the charity. She has already paid $10,000 but still owes more than $8,000, according to prosecutors. The judge ordered King to make payments of at least $100 a month.

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