U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis | U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis | U.S. Department of Justice
An Athens, Georgia, woman is facing federal criminal charges in the Middle District of Tennessee after law enforcement officers executed multiple search warrants, including a search warrant on her home, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis.
The indictment, returned on May 15, 2024, by a federal grand jury, charges Gabryele “Gabby” Watson, 26, with two counts of cyberstalking and one count of interstate transmission of threats to kidnap or injure. Watson is accused of cyberstalking by engaging in an adoption scam targeting a couple living in the Middle District of Tennessee and transmitting an interstate threat during her communication with the couple.
If convicted, Watson faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Nashville Resident Agency, Memphis Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison of the Middle District of Tennessee and Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case.
If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of, or have any information about, the conduct alleged in the indictment, please contact your local FBI field office or visit the FBI's website at www.fbi.gov/WatsonAdoptionFraud or the United States Attorney’s Office’s website at www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/victim-witness-assistance/gabryele-watson.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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