Ohio Baker Steals Baby's Identity to Claim $1.5 Million Pandemic Relief, DOJ Says

stealing a baby's identity fraudulent activities stole baby's identity COVID-19 pandemic relief Ava Misseldine Brie Bourgeois Koko Tea Salon & Bakery Food Network Department of Justice pandemic relief funds Sugar Inc. Cupcakes & Tea Salon Paycheck Protection Program Social Security number Ohio baker Ohio Baker Steals Baby's Identity

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Jun 13, 05:38 am

Photo: (Photo : Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Following years of search, authorities have arrested and charged Ohio baker Ava Misseldine for stealing a baby's identity and using this for various fraudulent activities, including claiming millions of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic relief.

Misseldine, 49, has been using the stolen identity of Brie Bourgeois since 2003. Bourgeois has been dead since 1979. The Ohio baker used the stolen identity to apply for a state ID, driver's license, and secure a social security card, per the Department of Justice.

In 2007, Misseldine again used Bourgeois' identity to apply for a U.S. passport, a student pilot license, and a job as a flight attendant. There was a point when she was employed using her false identity.

For the next 13 years, Misseldine would use the stolen identity alongside her real identity. In 2020, she committed the biggest fraud of all by claiming COVID-19 pandemic relief funds both as Misseldine and Bourgeois, wherein she raked over $1.5 million.

Ava Misseldine's Fraudulent Activities

As a baker and caterer, Misseldine allegedly applied for business relief from COVID-19 for her former stores like Koko Tea Salon & Bakery, Sugar Inc., and Cupcakes & Tea Salon. She used forged documents for both identities when submitting her applications to the pandemic's Paycheck Protection Program.

According to The Daily Beast, Misseldine claimed she didn't have a Social Security number until she was older because she was homeschooled. When her fledging bakery was featured on TV in 2014, she claimed to have grown up in Hawaii and worked as a cancer researcher.

Misseldine also told a local Ohio daily that her family ran a tea business that operated for generations. She claimed she got into the baking business after moving from Hawaii to Ohio because she wanted to honor her grandmother back home.

However, an uncle in Cleveland spoke with The Daily Beast to say that the Hawaii and tea family business stories are not true. The uncle also said he was unaware his niece was a cancer researcher.

Sometime before 2003, Misseldine was apparently in prison for forgery and theft, but she escaped. The DOJ finally pinned her when she applied for a passport in 2021, using the stolen baby's identity, for a planned trip to Dubai.

According to federal officials, the recent passport application under Bourgeois mirrored some details for the 2015 passport application under Misseldine. Thus, it was flagged for potential fraud.

Brie Bourgeois' Real Mom Reacts

But the Bourgeois was also not scot-free as the name had court records for fraud and theft dating back to 2007. In one of her court cases in 2014, Misseldine claimed she was an adopted child and briefly used "Brie Bourgeois" in official documents until her adoptive family became upset that she wasn't using "Ava Misseldine," her adoptive name, or so she claimed.

If convicted, Misseldine will be in prison for 30 years.

Paula Bourgeois, the mother of the real Brie Bourgeois, said she was unaware Misseldine had been using her daughter's stolen identity for decades until she got calls from news outlets, per Business Insider. She confirmed that her baby died at 4 1/2 months old and did not have any Social Security number.

The mother also said that she didn't know Misseldine at all and was worried that she would also be liable for her financial crimes. Paula's husband, Jacques, died in 2003.