Counselor claimed Richland home invasion and rape, then stole GoFundMe donations, say police

A Tri-Cities woman is accused of raising nearly $2,800 on GoFundMe after falsely claiming to be the victim of a rape and home invasion, according to court documents.

Raeshel Lawrence, 34, of Kennewick, is charged in Benton County Superior Court with second-degree theft, a felony, and false reporting, a gross misdemeanor. She has pleaded innocent.

The Department of Health also has charged her with unprofessional conduct.

At the time of the alleged theft she was registered as an agency-affiliated counselor, but the credential has since expired. She previously was a registered nursing assistant.

Home invasion, rape report

In October 2018, she called 911 to report a stranger barged into her house and raped her, according to court documents.

Lawrence told police, when interviewed at the Richland hospital, that she must have forgotten to lock the door after her a visit from her husband. They were separated and she was living in Richland.

A man she did not recognize entered her home and raped her despite her attempts to fight back, according to court documents.

She took several photos of her injuries and then called 911.

A police investigation found that the light-weight stand of drawers she said she pushed at her attacker had no damage, including to a glass jar on top of it.

59 donations to GoFundMe

A detective tried several times over the next week to interview her, but she repeatedly declined.

At some point in the 10 days after the alleged attack, she asked a friend to start an online fundraiser for her.

Lawrence said she was going to be out of work without pay for two weeks because of her injuries.

The friend created a GoFundMe account so that money would deposit directly to Lawrence’s bank account.

About 59 people made donations to the account, according to court documents. Lawrence had spent some of the money before she was accused of lying about the attack.

Charges were filed after police checked the call and text history on her phone and her husband’s phone.

Among the discrepancies were a text to her husband five minutes after she started photographing her injuries, saying she was fine and wanted to go to sleep, according to court documents.

Her estranged husband did not know of the break-in and rape report until the next day, according to phone reports.

Police say that her injuries were self-inflicted, and DNA results from the rape kit showed evidence that she had consensual sex before claiming she was attacked, according to court documents.

A trial in Benton County Superior Court is scheduled for Feb. 10.