Brazilian Woman Jailed For Fraud After Posing As 12-Year-Old In Joinville
Woman deceived Brazilian family for 14 months by posing as child.
A 37-year-old Brazilian woman has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of pretending to be an autistic 12-year-old girl and living with a foster family for more than a year. Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was convicted of fraud and false identity after authorities found evidence linking her to similar incidents elsewhere in Brazil. The Court of Justice of Santa Catarina sentenced her to one year, six months and 10 days in prison, along with four months and 18 days of detention.
Oliveira reportedly met a religious couple in Joinville after being introduced to them by a local pastor. She presented herself as Gabriele, a severely autistic child who needed care and protection. To maintain the identity, she reportedly carried a doll, used a pacifier and drank from a baby bottle, while speaking in a high-pitched, childlike voice. The couple believed her story and allowed her to stay with them for 14 months.
During that period, the couple reportedly covered her living expenses and even paid for a course involving weight-loss medication. Oliveira also told people that she had been forced to undergo hormone treatment because she appeared older than the age she claimed. Her behaviour and appearance reportedly helped maintain the impression that she was a vulnerable child in need of support.
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The deception was eventually uncovered after an aunt who had become suspicious of Oliveira’s background searched for information about her online. The search reportedly revealed reports of a similar case in Rio de Janeiro three years earlier. Social project director Viviane Henriques and nutritionist Renata Magalhaes had previously provided Oliveira with accommodation and financial support after she allegedly used a similar identity.
Henriques described the discovery as devastating, saying Oliveira appeared to look like a teenager and maintained a childlike manner while claiming to have autism. Oliveira’s lawyer, Lucio Sousa, acknowledged that she had invented an identity but argued that she had relied on such behaviour as a way of surviving. He also maintained that she had not been accused of stealing or obtaining financial benefits in the manner alleged by the prosecution.
The judge rejected Oliveira’s defence that mental illness made her unable to bear criminal responsibility for her actions. The court concluded that she had acted deliberately and consciously. Her conviction brings an end to the legal proceedings over the case, which drew attention because of the length of time she maintained the false identity and the discovery of allegations involving similar incidents.
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