Jury selection in Chalice Zeitner trial

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Jury selection is underway for an Arizona woman accused of faking Cancer to get the state to pay for her abortion. She's also been accused of taking money from Arizona veterans.

Chalice Zeitner has been behind bars since June, late last year a judge ruled she is competent to stand trial.

In 2010, the 30-year-old woman was enrolled in Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) when she told her obstetrician that she had Cancer, and the pregnancy threatened her own life. That's the only scenario when Arizona's state health care will cover abortions. Prosecutors say she never had Cancer, and the state ended up paying for the abortion costs.

Zeitner has also been indicted on charges of defrauding a Valley organization that works with veterans. Investigators say she was given thousands of dollars for a benefit that was never held. They say she stole the identity of the founder of "Veterans Hope Charity" and opened a credit card account, charging $25,000.

Veterans Hope Charity was able to recover some of the funds through the fraud protection on their credit card, but most of it is gone.

The trial will only deal with the state-funded abortion. Zeitner will face a separate trial for the eight felony counts connected to the Veterans Charity Fraud.

Opening statements are expected to get underway on Wednesday.