A 37-year-old Brazilian woman, Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, has been convicted of fraud and false identity. This week, the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina found her guilty of living with a foster family for over a year by pretending to be a child.
Oliveira lived with the family as their daughter for 14 months. Her scheme involved claiming she had fled abuse. Reports from the Washington Post revealed that she had been living under a false child identity for 15 years. Her deception included using a childlike voice and telling others she took hormones to appear older.
The court sentenced her to one year, six months and 10 days in prison, along with an additional four months and 18 days of detention. One of her lawyers, Lúcio Sousa, stated before the verdict that this scheme was how Oliveira “survived” for more than 20 years. He highlighted that she had been a vulnerable person living on the streets, without any allegations of financial gain or theft.
“I deceived people, I lied, but I didn’t intend to scam anyone,” Oliveira said, expressing that she never meant to hurt anyone. Her intent was to experience the love she had missed in her own childhood.
Post-verdict, Sousa indicated their plans to “pursue all appropriate legal measures and appeals before the higher courts.” Oliveira’s case raises questions on the intersection of identity fraud and personal vulnerability.