A woman staged 17 pregnancies and received 110,000 euros - photo

An Italian woman is accused of staging at least 17 pregnancies - 12 miscarriages and 5 fake births - to receive a benefit of 110,000 euros. SSPDaily tells about it.

This is reported by Oddity Central. 

Barbara Ioele, 50, has had an unusual number of pregnancies over the past 24 years, leading to years of maternity leave and state benefits. According to the documents provided by the woman, she had 17 pregnancies, 12 of which were terminated. The other five allegedly resulted in the birth of healthy babies named Benedetta, Angelica, Abramo, Letizia and Ismael. However, there is no record of them ever being registered, and no one has ever seen them.

Barbara "gave birth" to her youngest child last December, but authorities now claim that she was under observation in the later stages of her "pregnancy" and they have evidence that she was never in labor. They also accuse her of faking all 17 of her claimed pregnancies in order to receive cash benefits and take time off work.

Barbara's case recently made national headlines in Italy, and for good reason. Her story is so unbelievable that most filmmakers would consider it over-the-top. Prosecutors allege that her elaborate fraud over the past two decades included stealing birth certificates from a Rome clinic and other forged documents, as well as doctor's signatures, pillows to simulate a pregnant belly, and a rehearsed walk to look pregnant.

To claim all of her pregnancies, Barbara registered the stolen medical certificates with forged signatures and was able to obtain about €110,000 in maternity benefits, as well as years of maternity leave from various employers. Incredibly, no one suspected a thing, given that she had reportedly been doing this since 2000, but her success ended last year when the labor police began following her last pregnancy, collecting evidence that she was not actually pregnant. This launched an investigation into her previous pregnancies.

"I knew very well that my partner was not pregnant," David Pizzinato, Barbara's 55-year-old partner, admitted during interrogation, claiming that he had known about her fraud since 2012, when their relationship began. He is accused of complicity, but is apparently more than willing to testify against Ioele in exchange for a lighter sentence.

As for the woman, despite the overwhelming evidence against her - the absence of five children, forged documents, testimony from her partner, surveillance, etc. - she remains defiant. To avoid being interrogated, the 50-year-old woman presented two medical certificates, this time genuine, confirming her serious health condition. However, she faces imprisonment for financial fraud and identity fraud, among other charges.