Woman, 38, arrested after posing as 12-year-old girl to trick family into adopting her
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Gabriele.
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That is the name a 38-year-old woman claimed was hers when she pretended to be a 12-year-old with the hopes of being adopted by a family in Brazil.
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was arrested earlier this month by the Civil Police of Santa Catarina and is facing identity theft and fraud charges for impersonating a child.
De Oliveira was taken in by a family in Joinville, about 530 km southwest of São Paulo, for 14 months.
How did she do it?
She claimed to have autism and other medical conditions “to gain the family’s trust,” police said in a news release .
She also alleged that she had been abused and subjected to forced hormone treatment in her childhood, to justify her mature appearance.
De Oliveira also used pacifiers, baby bottles, played with kids’ toys, and made childlike drawings to reinforce her false identity.
For more than a year, the family, linked to an evangelical community, treated her like their adopted daughter, providing her with a decorated bedroom, giving her gifts and even throwing her a 12th birthday party, police said.
How was the hoax uncovered?
The scheme was uncovered by the suspect’s “aunt,” who recognized “Gabriele” from online reports on a similar case from 2023 that took place in Nova Iguacu in the State of Rio de Janeiro.
De Oliveira was reported to the police two days later.
Officers said the woman “fully confessed” during formal questioning.
Many families have been deceived
The repeat offender, who police allege has done this “type of crime” in the Brazilian jurisdictions of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and Goias, is currently being held in Joinville Regional Prison.
Officers did not provide details, but Brazilian news network Globo reported that the accused has pretended to be a child in order to be taken in by strangers for more than 15 years.
In the Joinville case went by “Maria Eduarda” in Rio de Janeiro, and “Ana Clara” in Sao Paulo.
As Maria, she allegedly convinced victims that she was a 12-year-old sex trafficking victim, the outlet reported.
De Oliveira’s false identity and fraud charges have been suspended until she undergoes a mental health evaluation, scheduled for June 26.