A woman allegedly faked being pregnant in order to get paid maternity leave from her $100,000 (£81,600) a year job, but was caught in her lie by her employer when her prosthetic baby bump fell off.
Robin Folsom, from the US, worked as the Director of External Affairs at Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and told her bosses she was expecting a baby and had even got them to agree to arrange 265 hours of paid time off for her before one of her co-workers noticed something suspicious.
The co-worker reportedly saw 43-year-old Folsom's baby bump "come away" from her body and reported it to their bosses, and after an investigation, it was discovered that she had been wearing a prosthetic baby bump in order to pull off her fake pregnancy scheme.
According to a statement from the office of Georgia State Inspector General Scott McAfee, an investigation "revealed that in March 2021, a co-worker observed the lower portion of Folsom's stomach had 'come away' from her body," leading her to believe that Folsom wore a fake pregnancy stomach.
What's more, Folsom even invented a fake dad named Bran Otmembebwe for her imaginary baby, and was once again caught in a lie when it was discovered that no such man existed.
McAfee said: "We ultimately didn't find any evidence that he existed. That's why she's also been charged with identity fraud."
Folsom's fake pregnancy continued after her "due date" too, with the woman sending baby photos to several co-workers - although they weren't all of the same baby.
The images "depicted children with varying skin tones," a release from the Inspector General's office stated.
Folsom had also allegedly told her employers that she had given birth once before, in July 2020, before getting pregnant again in August 2021. But investigators could find no official records of Folsom having given birth and her medical insurance records didn't show any charges for prenatal exams or a delivery.
The woman resigned from her position at Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency shortly after being interviewed about the fake pregnancies and was charged in February 2022 with three counts of making false statements and one count of identity fraud after a local grand jury indicted her.
In April last year, Folsom pleaded guilty to the charges - which amounted to four felonies - and was sentenced to five years on probation and a psychiatric evaluation followed by any treatment deemed necessary, according to local news station WSB-TV.
The judge also ordered her to pay $12,307 (£10,043) in restitution to the State of Georgia.
After the verdict, McAfee said: "The vast majority of our state employees would never dream of something like this, but for those who do, we're going to hold them accountable."
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