A young mother who was raped when she was 12 and gave birth to a son is now losing state assistance because people donated money to help her on a GoFundMe page.
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Tiffany, we are only using her first name, says while people donated $100,000, she got $73,000 after fees. And the state is cutting off $300 a month, plus health insurance for her son, now 8 years old.
Tiffany tells 7 Investigator Jim Kiertzner that people don’t understand that she’s trying to get her life on track.
“'She’s got all this money.' Well, this money was just to be able to put a roof over our heads. It’s not like I’m asking for a million dollars. I’m trying to get back on my feet. The biggest problem I have with that is now my son doesn’t have health insurance.”
Sanilac County Judge Gregory Ross granted joint custody to the son's father, Christopher Mirasolo, but then reversed himself saying he was not told by the prosecutor that this was a rape case.
Prosecutor Jim Young admitted mistakes and fired an assistant prosecutor.
Mirasolo was allowed to plead guilty to attempted rape 9 years ago, did 6 months in jail and was then accused of rape again. He was released from prison last summer.
Tiffany’s attorney Rebecca Kiessling says, “Now the state is sticking it to her again. They violated her when he wasn’t prosecuted, wasn’t arrested properly the first time.”
Tiffany says she has to move because the state gave her rapist her address.
“So, now he knows where we live. So, in order for me to keep my son safe, I have to figure out something—move our whole lives.”
State officials will not discuss Tiffany’s case, but spokesman Bob Wheaton said in an email to Action News in general, “Under federal and state statute, eligibility for food assistance and health care assistance depends on factors that include household income and assets. So a change in income or assets could affect eligibility.”
