A Seattle-area woman has been accused of theft, perjury and fraud after allegedly faking her own pregnancy and stealing thousands of dollars in child support payments from the man she said was the daddy, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
King County prosecutors claim Federal Way resident Carmen Lynn Johnsen told her lover at the time (December 2008) that she was pregnant with his child. She took a couple of pregnancy tests a month later, which showed she actually was not pregnant, but she allegedly kept that to herself.
It's important to point out that DNA tests used to determine paternity are very accurate. Regardless, it's often a good idea to consult with a Georgia family law attorney first before agreeing to child support payments if you're in doubt.
A Federal Way detective cited in the article said Carmen Johnsen knew she was not pregnant but lied to the unidentified man, telling him she had "a history of high-risk pregnancies and miscarriages."
The man, who was not identified by police, believed her and began paying $700 in monthly payments, totaling $3,500 in child support before the alleged fraud was discovered seven months later when he saw her and noticed she didn't look pregnant.
Carmen Johnsen repeated her false pregnancy claim under oath on four different occasions and also named a fictitious child in the following death announcement in a local newsletter:
"In Loving memory of Rebekah Lynn Johnsen. Becky was born asleep, 28 days premature, on July 23, 2009."
Police also said she asked a pastor to help her plan a funeral for her fictitious child, claiming she miscarried the child after a car crash. She allegedly gave the victim a photo of an urn as she tried to get the would-be father to pay more than $9,000 in fraudulent hospital bills.
Police said she admitted to taking money under the false pretext that she was pregnant and the document she claimed proved her pregnancy was proven to be a fake. She was charged with first-degree theft, perjury and forgery.
Related Resources:
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Challenging Paternity (FindLaw)
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Contact an Atlanta Family Law Attorney (FindLaw)
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