New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
Kaitlyn Braun, the Brantford, Ont. woman previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas, has been charged again in connection to a new victim.
Hamilton Police confirmed to CTV News that three new charges were laid on May 6. They include obtaining by false pretence, false information and fraud under $5,000.
Those charges stem from alleged incidents between April 28 and April 30.
Other charges
Braun was arrested by Hamilton Police on April 30 and charged the following day with obtaining by false pretence, harassing communications and alleged breach of a conditional sentence order.
Hamilton Police said the alleged incidents took place on April 17 and 18, and related to Braun falsely seeking support for pregnancy and childbirth from another victim.
Braun has been in custody since her April 30 arrest.
Previous plea
In December 2023, Braun pleaded guilty to 21 charges related to deceiving and defrauding doulas.
Court heard she contacted numerous doulas over a number of months starting in June 2022. Often she would tell them she was pregnant as a result of sexual assault. The doulas supported Braun, many times as she pretended to go through a stillbirth.
Braun was sentenced to two years of house arrest in February 2024, though at the time the judge raised concerns about a mental health report that suggested Braun was likely to reoffend.
Doula reacts to new charges
Amy Silva was one of Braun’s original victims and shared a number of videos online warning others about a doula scammer.
She said many people are still hearing about Braun’s case for the first time.
“There are just so many people, still, that aren’t aware of things happening, so there’s definitely the possibility of more charges, more people coming forward,” she told CTV Kitchener on Tuesday.
Silva suggests anyone who thinks they may have been contacted by Braun speak with someone they feel comfortable with, whether that’s another doula or police.
“Everybody kind of has to make the choice that’s right for them. Some people just don’t want to know if they were impacted, which again, that’s your own choice, right?” she explained. “The people that have chosen to speak out and continue to speak out, it’s just because we don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Princess of Wales to miss major military display next month amid cancer treatment
Catherine, Princess of Wales, will not be returning to royal duties with an appearance at the Colonel’s Review, a military parade in London in early June, as she continues her treatment for cancer.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.