Woman Arrested in Santa Catarina After Posing as 12-Year-Old to Gain Shelter

Overview

• Police arrested Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira at a Joinville home on June 2 and she has been charged with estelionato and falsa identidade after confessing to investigators.
• Judges in Santa Catarina accepted the public prosecutor’s complaint and ordered a sanity examination for June 26 to assess her mental state during the alleged crimes.
• Victims say Amanda lived about 14 months with a family in Joinville while posing as a 12-year-old, winning trust through fabricated health and abuse stories.
• Investigators say she used many aliases and repeated the scheme in multiple states, and court records show a 2025 conviction for falsidade ideológica for a similar fraud.
• Social workers and shelter staff initially provided care but later found inconsistencies through checks and online searches, highlighting gaps in identity verification and the need for better interagency information sharing.