AN ITALIAN woman was jailed last week for falsely claiming to have had five children and 12 miscarriages so she could pocket more than 110,000 (A$181,000) in maternity benefits.
Barbara Loele, 50, was accused of fraudulently making a small fortune in state benefits as well as racking up a considerable amount of time off work over a 24-year period, Metro reported.
Of her 17 purported pregnancies, she claimed only five were carried to term, resulting in children prosecutors said were never registered and had never been seen by officials or anyone else.
Loele even claimed to have had her latest child last Dec.
However, police said they'd had her under surveillance throughout the preceding nine months and that the whole pregnancy was a sham.
Prosecutors apparently said Loele's alleged fraud was made possible by the theft of birth certificates from a clinic in Rome and other forged documents.
She was also accused of using pillows to give herself the appearance of a baby bump, as well as walking as if carrying the additional weight of an unborn child.
Her 55-year-old partner, Davide Pizzinato, told police that he knew 'full well' Loele was apparently never pregnant and testified against her in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Loele reportedly remains defiant saying her five kids exist.
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