A 30-year-old Georgia woman will spend nearly two years in federal prison after executing an elaborate cyberstalking scheme where she posed as pregnant teenagers to torment and threaten couples trying to adopt.
Gabryele Watson, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced to 20 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence comes after Watson pleaded guilty on July 25, 2025, to charges of cyberstalking, transmitting threats to kidnap or injure in interstate commerce, and identity theft.
Court documents outline a pattern of digital harassment spanning May and June 2023. In one instance, Watson targeted a married couple in the Middle District of Tennessee who had spent eight years trying to adopt a child. To gain their trust, Watson hijacked the online identity of a pregnant teenager in Pennsylvania, using details and updates scraped directly from the minor’s real social media profile.
READ: Federal Court Tosses Offshore Drilling Lawsuit, Clearing The Way For California Oil Flow
Operating under the stolen identity, Watson contacted the hopeful parents through their adoption page. She used text-spoofing services and digital anonymity tools to mask her location. After claiming she wanted to place her baby for adoption, Watson began making extreme demands, forcing the couple to remain on call around the clock and pressuring them to buy maternity clothes and baby gear.
The interactions eventually turned malicious. Watson repeatedly threatened to cancel the adoption, fabricated life-threatening medical emergencies regarding the unborn child, and threatened to abort or injure the baby. The harassment escalated to explicit death threats against the couple and threats of suicide.
Investigators found that Watson used the exact same tactics against a second Tennessee couple. In that case, she pretended to be a pregnant 18-year-old from Arkansas carrying high-risk twins. Watson spoke on speakerphone with the couple’s two young sons to build excitement for the adoption before ultimately threatening to murder the entire family.
“Gabryele Watson, an adult woman, stole a pregnant teenager’s identity and cruelly led on couples seeking to adopt a baby, only to later emotionally abuse them, including threatening to terminate the pregnancy and mocking adoptive mothers for not being able to conceive,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Her sentence today accounts for the real-world devastation her unrelenting online harassment caused her victims.”
READ: Truck Driver Flees On Foot After Killing Man In Christmas: Florida Highway Patrol
U.S. Attorney Braden Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee noted the severe emotional toll of the fraud, stating that Watson “preyed on the hopes and dreams of a young couple who simply wanted to be parents.”
The FBI Nashville Field Office led the investigation into Watson’s digital footprint.
“Cyberstalking not only causes panic and anxiety but also leaves victims feeling constantly unsafe and vulnerable,” said Terence G. Reilly, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Nashville Field Office. He added that the bureau prioritizes cases involving violent threats made via digital platforms.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison alongside the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), with contributions from former Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky. Since 2020, CCIPS has convicted more than 180 cyber and intellectual property criminals and secured court orders returning over $350 million to victims.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
