Georgia woman who faked being pregnant teen and threatened couples sentenced to federal prison

A Georgia woman will spend nearly two years in federal prison after officials say she pretended to be a pregnant teenager to cyberstalk and threaten two Tennessee couples who were looking to adopt a baby.

Last year, 30-year-old Athens resident Gabryele Watson pleaded guilty to four counts of cyberstalking, two counts of communicating threats to injure in interstate commerce, and two counts of unlawful use of a means of identification.

Prosecutors say Watson pretended to be a pregnant teen, copying the social media posts of a minor in Pennsylvania. She then contacted a couple in Tennessee who had been trying to adopt for eight years online and through text spoofing services. After tricking them into believing that they could adopt her child once she gave birth, Watson then demanded they respond to all her communications and buy her maternity clothing and baby-related gear.

In her messages, officials say Watson also threatened to cancel the adoption, abort or injure her unborn child, commit suicide, and kill the couple.

“This defendant, for her own selfish and evil reasons, preyed on the hopes and dreams of a young couple who simply wanted to be parents,” said U.S. Attorney Braden Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. “This kind of fraud is devastating to those it affects, it cannot be tolerated, and today’s punishment shows that we will hold those who commit it accountable for their actions.”

Court documents claim Watson was also in communication with another married couple, this time claiming she was pregnant with “high-risk twins.” After getting the couple and their two sons excited about the adoption, she then threatened to kill the family.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Watson to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.