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South Bay Woman Whose Identity Was Allegedly Stolen As Part Of Hoax Identified

TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — The world knew her lovely face as Lennay Kekua, girlfriend of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o.

Problem.

There is no Lennay Kekua.

For the first time, the woman, whose face has been seen on Twitter, has been identified as Diane O'Meara.

"Inside Edition" cameras were rolling when the 23-year-old woman left her office in Torrance Thursday.

"Right now, I'm not making any comment," she said, "But thank you."

The "Inside Edition" crew asked her if she knew how her image got caught up in the hoax.

"Again, not commenting, so go and contact my legal attorneys and they will help you out," she said.

Friends insist her identity was stolen. They say she was shocked to see her image being used in stories about Te'o's "dead girlfriend."

The woman's family also said her picture was taken from her Facebook account without her permission.

KCAL9's Suraya Fadel says O'Meara graduated from Cal State Long Beach and currently works as a marketing coordinator at STN Media Group.

O'Meara's attorney would only say he is reviewing the case and feels it is too premature to say anything right now, according to Fadel.

O'Meara reportedly attended the same high school as Te'o's friend, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who has been described in various media accounts as the mastermind of the hoax.

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