Woman fakes 17 pregnancies over 24 years for maternity benefits
She has cashed in R2.2-million in maternity benefits over the years.
An Italian woman has been accused of faking seventeen pregnancies just so she could take advantage of the maternity benefits.
"According to documents filed by the woman, she went through 17 pregnancies, 12 of which unfortunately couldn’t be carried to term. The other five allegedly resulted in the birth of healthy babies named Benedetta, Angelica, Abramo, Letizia, and Ismaele, only there is no record of them ever being registered, and no one has ever actually seen them." (Oddity Central)
Barbara Loele (50) was allegedly pregnant last year and was supposed to give birth in late December 2023, but there was no proof that she was even pregnant.
It is alleged that she faked all 17 declared pregnancies to receive over 110,000 euros in benefits and get time off from work.
That is a total of R2.2-million!
"Prosecutors claim that her elaborate fraud over the last two decades involved stolen birth certificates from Rome clinic and other forged documents and doctors’ signatures, pillows to emulate a baby bump, and a rehearsed walk to appear pregnant." (Oddity Central)
It sounds more and more like a Telenovela...
Loele was able to receive $120,000 (R2,263,764) in benefits over two decades with several employers due to her fraudulent pregnancies.
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No one noticed anything, considering she has been doing this since 2000, but things took a turn for her last year when the Labour Police began monitoring her latest alleged pregnancy.
“'I knew full well that my partner was not pregnant,' Davide Pizzinato, Barbara’s 55-year-old partner, confessed during interrogation, claiming that he had been aware of her fraud since 2012, when their relationship began. He stands accused as an accomplice but is apparently more than willing to testify against Ioele in exchange for a lighter sentence." (Oddity Central)
Loele still maintains her innocence.
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