LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)– Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald has charged 34-year-old Kelli Bryant with three counts of welfare fraud, including to the three counts of first-degree baby abuse.
In keeping with the Workplace of the Prosecuting Legal professional, reviewed funds by the Michigan Division of Well being and Human Companies (MDHHS) revealed an alleged overpayment obtained by fraud of $29,397 from January 2022 via February 2025.
Kelli Marie Bryan’s reserving {photograph}. (Photograph: Oakland County Sheriff)
“The defendant appears to have effectively abandoned her children while collecting their public assistance,” mentioned Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “This crime is, first and foremost, a theft from Kelli Bryant’s children. These resources were intended to ensure they had the basic necessities denied to them. The children deserved better.”
On Feb. 14, 2025, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Workplace deputies arrested Byrant after she deserted her three youngsters for years, leaving them in horrendous dwelling circumstances.
Deputies discovered a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old lady, and a 12-year-old lady inside a house on the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac. The boy instructed deputies he and his sisters have been deserted in 2020 or 2021, left to reside alone.
“Throughout my extensive career in this field, I have never encountered a scenario as dire andprolonged as this one, involving abandonment, neglect, and abuse of the highest order,” mentioned Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Welfare fraud over $500 is punishable by as much as 4 years in jail or a $5000 advantageous.
