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Woman jailed in adoption fraud
By BRADY DENNIS
Published February 9, 2005
TAMPA - A 22-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday after she offered her unborn child for adoption to two couples at the same time, investigators said.
Police said Rachelle Bruneau, who is nearing the end of her pregnancy, originally placed her baby for adoption through a Largo agency.
The prospective parents, a couple from North Carolina, spent about $8,000 on living expenses and Christmas presents for Bruneau, as well as $3,000 in fees for the adoption agency, officials said.
But she also placed the baby with a Bradenton adoption agency and drew the interest of a second couple, they said. Tampa police Detective Gene Gowarty said authorities found out about the incident only when the adoption agencies traded e-mails and realized what had happened.
He said Bruneau was single, unemployed and likely looking to make money. He said she also tested positive for cocaine use recently, which could jeopardize whether the two couples will still want to adopt.
[Last modified February 9, 2005, 00:43:19]
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