Woman in Her Late 30s Convicted After Posing as Abused 12-Year-Old Girl and Living with a Foster Family for More Than a Year

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was convicted in Brazil after posing as a 12-year-old girl and living with a foster family for 14 months. Her attorneys say they plan to appeal the court’s decision.

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A woman in her late 30s was convicted after she posed as a 12-year-old girl and was taken in by a foster family for about 14 months

The woman, Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira of Brazil, used a high-pitched, childlike voice during her time with the family and claimed she had escaped past abuse

Authorities say the woman committed similar scams in other areas of the country prior to the most recent incident

A woman in her late 30s has been convicted of fraud and using a false identity after posing as a 12-year-old girl and living with a foster family that took her in for more than a year.

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was convicted in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to a translated media release from the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina.

According to the release, Oliveira was taken in by a family in Joinville after posing as a 12-year-old girl with “a history of abuse” and “health problems.”

The family treated her “as a daughter,” providing Oliveira with “housing, food, medication and other care” for the next 14 months, per the court.

The scam enabled Oliveira to gain “financial advantage,” as the family was “fully covering her living expenses” during the time she lived with them, per the ruling. The court also took “the emotional and family impacts” of the situation into account in its decision, per the release.

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Oliveira, who ultimately admitted to authorities that she had lied about her age and identity, was sentenced to approximately 18 months in prison, followed by about five months of detention under a semi-open prison regime, per the court.

The Santa Catarina Civil Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the case.

The woman went by the name “Gabriel” during her time living with the family, according to The Washington Post.

She was placed with the family in 2023 after contacting a local organization that works with vulnerable children. At that time, Oliveira spoke in a high-pitched, childlike voice and claimed she had escaped abuse, per the outlet.

Oliveira was ultimately caught when those around her began to notice inconsistencies in her story, per The Post.

Authorities also alleged that she had committed similar acts of fraud in other parts of the country in previous years, according to the outlet.

Oliveira also previously claimed she had autism and had been administered hormones, which she said was why she appeared older than her age, according to both The Post and local outlet G1 Santa Catarina.

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One of Oliveira’s attorneys, Lúcio Sousa, described his client as a “vulnerable person” who had “lived on the streets” in a statement to The Post.

He also claimed that Oliveira did not cause financial loss to the family during the time she lived with them.

Following the court ruling, Sousa shared a statement on social media, writing that Oliveira’s legal team disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to “pursue all appropriate legal measures and appeals before the higher courts.”

The team added that “it will continue tirelessly in its efforts to prove Amanda’s innocence.”

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