Ashley Todd mugging hoax (original) (raw)

In October 2008, Ashley Todd, a volunteer for the U.S. presidential campaign of Republican John McCain, claimed to have been the victim of robbery and politically motivated physical assault by a supporter of McCain's Democratic opponent Barack Obama. The story broke less than two weeks before the 2008 United States presidential election on November 4. Todd later confessed to inventing the story after surveillance photos and a polygraph test were presented. She was charged with filing a false police report, and entered a probation program for first-time offenders.