Faking a pregnancy could land you cold hard cash and some time in jail. An Italian woman has been accused of faking at least 17 pregnancies over the past 24 years to receive $120,000 in maternity benefits.
Barbara Ioele was able to fool the system over the last 24 years, which resulted in years of maternity leave and a small fortune in state-paid benefits. According to documents, the 50-year-old went through 17 pregnancies, 12 natural abortions that couldn’t be carried to term and five false births. The five allegedly resulted in her children named Benedetta, Angelica, Abramo, Letizia, and Ismaele.
The only thing is, there was never any record of any of these five babies being registered and no one has ever actually seen them. Ioele allegedly birthed her youngest child in December 2023 but now authorities claim she had been under surveillance throughout her late pregnancy and they have proof that she was never pregnant. They are also accusing her of having faked all 17 declared pregnancies to receive over $120,000 in benefits and to get time off from work.
Prosecutors believe that the woman’s elaborate fraud involved stolen birth certificates from Rome clinic and other forged documents and doctors’ signatures, pillows to emulate a baby bump, as well as a rehearsed walk to appear pregnant.
To declare all her pregnancies, Barbara Ioele registered the stolen medical certificates with forged signatures and was able to receive around $120,000 in maternity benefits and years of maternity leave from various employers.
“I knew full well that my partner was not pregnant,” Davide Pizzinato, Ioele’s 55-year-old partner, confessed during interrogation, claiming that he had been aware of her fraud since 2012 when their relationship began. He is currently being viewed as an accomplice but is apparently willing to testify against Ioele in exchange for a lighter sentence.
To avoid having to appear to investigators for interrogation, Ioele produced two medical certificates vouching for her poor medical condition. She is currently facing prison time for financial fraud and identity fraud.
Source: https://www.ilmattino.it/roma/news/finte_gravidanze_truffa_marito_confessa_roma-5016126.html