Ex-Counterfeit frontwoman Hali Etie has been accused of faking a diagnosis of stage 3 cervical cancer to profit from various fundraising activities. The Hardcore Cares organization took to rallying behind Etie during the initial stages of her allegedly fraudulent claims and issued the following statement:
“Concerning the Hali Etie fraud case. Hali Etie front woman for Erie, Pa Band Counterfeit. Hardcore Cares as well as many others was caught up in the fraudulent claims that Hali was suffering through (Stage3 / Type B / Cervical Cancer). Hali and Counterfeit have been a mainstay with HCC from early on. We had no reason not to believe the claims were in fact true. Even after a private message from a concerned individual that he claims were false we backed her and supported her.
Hardcore Cares started backing her claims of cancer on July 15th 2015. We did put together a benefit show for her, customized Tshirts and shared the gofundme.com link religiously. about a week prior to the benefit show we started to see cracks in the story. Things just were not adding up. But she still had the support of key people close to her, so based on that and her presence in HCC we motored on. It was after seeing a post on Sunday September 6 that all the facts came together and her story crumbled.
All the gut instincts and cracks were true. We at Hardcore Cares were devastated. Here is a woman we had great respect for on a musical and personal level that had used us like so many others throughout this escapade. We absolutely send out our sincerest thanks to all that donated their time at Hali‘s benefit “Throwdown In Motown” on August 15. Corktown Tavern donated the venue, Leslie made from scratch cupcakes to sell, volunteers to BBQ, 5 bands CST, Death In Custody, Consumed With Hatred, Never Submit, and The Family. The outstanding staff at Corktown Tavern that always supports HCC and had an even deeper love for this event.
In closing: Hardcore Cares will not seek any legal action against Hali Etie. We will not spend anymore time, energy, or resource on this matter. We still have a great amount of respect for the 3 other members of Counterfeit. Let it be known that the existing members are in NO WAY a part of the fraud. Our heart & respect go out to all that gave, donated and backed Hali in her time of need. This will not be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for HCC. We will continue our mission, we will continue to grow and we will continue to give when and where we can.”
Through a now defunct Gofundme campaign, benefit shows and more, Etie is thought to have fraudulently obtained thousands of dollars. Her former bandmates commented of her:
“She’s a piece of shit and the rest of the band does not support her.”
[via Lambgoat]
