Viral: This Woman Faked A Pregnancy To Get Paid Maternity Leave From Work

A woman in Georgia has captured attention for allegedly faking a pregnancy so she could get paid time off from work. Robin Folsom, 43, is a state employee and has been accused of wearing a fake pregnant stomach in order to avail maternity leave benefits. The alleged fraud dates back to last year, with a grand jury in Fulton County indicting her earlier this month on February 10.

The Georgia Office of the Attorney General is the prosecutor on the case.

Folsom worked as the former Director of External Affairs for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), as per a press release by the office of Georgia's inspector general. Folsom said she gave birth in July 2020. In August 2021, she said she was pregnant again. Officials claim she faked more than one pregnancy.

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Folsom's cover blew when one of her colleagues at work saw her baby bump "come away" from her body, according to what investigation from March 2021 reveals. What's more, when she reportedly showed her colleagues photos of her new baby, they began noticing inconsistencies.

As per the release, Folsom's pictures "depicted children with varying skin tones."

Investigations revealed there was no state office record that recognised a birth certificate listing Folsom as a mother, even though she claimed she gave birth in 2020. Medical and insurance records too did not reflect any such information.

Folsom stepped down from her role at the GVRA in October last year, following interactions with the inspector general's office.

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State investigations revealed the GVRA office also received an email attributed to the father of Folsom's child, "stating that Folsom had been mandated several weeks of rest following the delivery." The office had approved seven weeks of paid leave for Folsom.

As per reports, Folsom has been charged with one count of identity fraud and three counts of false statements. The Attorney General of Georgia, Chris Carr, was quoted saying that "fraud by state employees will not be tolerated" and that prosecution was looking forward to presenting their case in court.