BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois woman who pretended to have ovarian cancer said she just wanted to belong, to be accepted after years of abuse and mental illness.

Alissa Jackson’s friends, neighbors and strangers in southwestern Illinois — and far beyond — just wanted to help the 32-year-old mother of five whom they believed was terminally ill.

Jackson’s yearslong deceit culminated Tuesday in a St. Clair County courtroom, where her husband and four of their children watched as she was led away in handcuffs after Circuit Judge Jan Fiss handed down a three-year prison sentence for fraud.

The charges stem from an online campaign and a succession of charity fundraisers on behalf of “Alissa’s Army” that netted her thousands of dollars, donated meals, a free vacation, vehicles and more.

The fraud unraveled in April 2014 after Jackson told a freind, her husband and others that she was at the hospital on the verge of death, even sharing photos purportedly from her emergency room bed.

A check of hospital records showed she had not been admitted. Jackson was arrested in June 2014 and pleaded guilty in December to two counts of theft of more than $500 by deception.

Jackson could have been sentenced to probation or up to five years in prison.