Additional Hamilton charges for Brantford woman on house arrest for doula fraud

Kaitlyn Braun, 25, faces second set of new allegations

A Brantford woman who defrauded more than a dozen doulas by faking pregnancies and stillbirths is facing more charges, The Spectator has confirmed.

Hamilton police Const. Indy Bharaj told The Spectator that Kaitlyn Braun is facing new charges of obtaining by false pretence, false information and fraud under $5,000.

The additional charges come days after Braun was arrested by Hamilton police less than three months into her house arrest.

Last week, police announced that the 25-year-old had been charged with obtaining by false pretence, harassing communications and breaching a conditional sentence order. Those charges stemmed from allegations that between April 17 and 18, Braun falsely solicited support related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Bharaj said additional charges were laid on Monday and involve a new victim. The alleged incidents took place between April 28 and 30, he added.

Police have not disclosed the number of victims in the Hamilton investigation, but investigators initially believed there may be more victims.

In February, Braun was handed a conditional sentence that includes two years of house arrest and three years of probation. She was ordered to wear a GPS ankle bracelet and undergo mandatory therapy.

Braun was originally arrested in March 2023 in what Brantford police described as “doula fraud” that spanned nearly a year.

In Brantford, she faced 52 charges related to 17 victims. In December 2023, she pleaded guilty to 21 of the charges, including multiple counts of fraud, committing an indecent act, false pretences and mischief.

The remaining charges were withdrawn after she was sentenced.

Court heard that Braun sought the services of doulas from across Canada and the United States from June 2022 until March 2023 and claimed she was pregnant as the result of sexual assaults.

She used social media and other websites to find the doulas and told them she was between 20 and 41 weeks pregnant with a stillborn baby. During an emotional sentencing hearing, many of the doulas detailed the trauma caused by Braun’s crimes, including some who have left the profession as a result.

Defence lawyer Alison Macdonald previously confirmed in an email that she continues to represent Braun.

Macdonald told The Spectator that as of Wednesday afternoon, Braun had not had a bail hearing. Macdonald said she could not comment on the latest allegations as she did not yet have the disclosure.

Bharaj confirmed that Braun remains in custody.