Ohio Woman Arrested For Stealing A Dead Baby's Identity

A former Columbus, Ohio, resident was arrested in Utah on Friday (June 10) on suspicion of stealing a dead baby's identity for her own personal gain, according to Business Insider.

In 2003, 49-year-old Ava Misseldine allegedly stole the identity of Brie Bourgeois, an infant who died in 1979 and was buried in a Columbus cemetery. This was just a few years after Misseldine was released from prison for theft, forgery and escape.

Over the next 13 years, Misseldine allegedly used both her real and fake identities in tandem. She used the fake identity to get a passport, a student pilot license, a flight attendant job, admission into Ohio State University and pandemic relief loans. In 2020, she obtained about $1.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans by using both identities and also got Utah drivers licenses for both identities. But when she tried to renew her fake passport in 2021, an investigation was launched.

Misseldine has been charged with passport fraud, Social Security fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with an emergency. If she is convicted, she will face a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 30 yeas in prison. She will face her charges in federal court.