Judge calls woman a 'danger,' sends her to prison after faking pregnancies, defrauding Ontario doulas

WARNING: This article references sexual assault, and may affect those who have experienced​ them or know someone affected by them.

Kaitlyn Braun was sentenced to three years in prison in a Hamilton court room Monday after she faked being pregnant and conned two women into providing her with doula support while she was on house arrest for similar crimes. 

Braun will also serve the remainder of her house arrest sentence behind bars, bringing her total sentence to three years and eight months of incarceration.

Dressed in a lime green sweater and dark green pants, Braun, 26, sat in the prisoner's box Monday, looking down for most of the hearing and did not address the court except to say "good morning" to Ontario Court Justice Joe Fiorucci.

In January, she pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining by false pretence services under $5,000 and two harassment-related charges from April 2024. Both the defence and Crown requested she be imprisoned where she could undergo therapy. 

Fiorucci agreed, noting a psychiatric assessment found she had a high risk of reoffending and inflicting psychological harm on others if she doesn't undergo treatment and take medication. Even then, "she is very likely to offend and create victims," he said. 

"The offender's deception was fully conscious, purposeful and deliberate," Fiorucci said. 

Braun had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced for 21 charges including fraud, indecent acts, false pretences and mischief, after pretending to have experienced pregnancies and stillbirths between June 2022 and February 2023. 

Dozens of doulas across Ontario were impacted. A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to clients before, during and shortly after childbirth. They also help with grief and trauma around pregnancy loss, but they do not deliver babies and they don't have access to medical records or equipment.

While on house arrest for the first set of crimes, in Brantford, Braun participated in individual and group therapy, and was supported by a nurse practitioner and psychiatrist, Fiorucci noted. 

But a couple weeks in, Braun called an organization that supports parents in crisis and was connected with an employee, Tracy Robb. Braun gave a fake name and claimed to be 19 weeks pregnant. She said her baby wasn't going to make it to term and she needed support.

Robb spoke on the phone with Braun for 18 hours over two days. Braun told Robb what she planned to name the baby and asked about Robb's own childbirth experiences. 

Braun appeared to be making noises "consistent with orgasm" on some of the calls, Crown attorney Simon McNaughton previously told the court. 

Braun has denied her crimes were sexual in nature and wasn't charged with sexual assault. But Fiorucci said on Monday the evidence "strongly suggests" there was a sexual element and Robb said she felt sexually violated.