18-month sentence for 38-year-old woman who posed as a 12-year-old and caused a couple to 'adopt' her
A Brazilian court sentenced Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, 38, to 18 months in prison for posing as a 12-year-old girl and causing a kind-hearted couple to care for her for 14 months. She was convicted of fraud and 'emotional kidnapping' after convincing them she had fled abuse, adopting baby talk and using pacifiers. The judge rejected the defense's claim that she suffers from a mental disorder.
A Brazilian court has sentenced Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, 38, to 18 months in prison for fraud and 'emotional kidnapping.' For 14 months, she posed as a 12-year-old girl and caused a kind-hearted couple to care for her as parents. The case began when she showed up at services at an evangelical church in Joinville, southern Brazil. Initially, she presented herself as an 18-year-old named Gabriela, and the pastor connected her with the couple. Gradually, she convinced them she was a 12-year-old fleeing abuse, claiming her mature appearance was due to hormones her father forced her to take. She adopted baby talk, drank from baby bottles, and used pacifiers, and got them to fund weight-loss treatments. The couple set up a decorated room with toys and threw her a 12th birthday party. The case was uncovered thanks to a relative who grew suspicious and conducted an online search, finding reports of an identical modus operandi from 2023 in Rio de Janeiro. The judge rejected the defense's claim that she suffers from a mental disorder, ruling she acted with full awareness. Her lawyers argued it was a 'survival strategy' and announced an intention to appeal.