Pregnant Florida woman promises baby to separate adoptive couples, police say

Suspect accused of taking thousands of dollars from both sets of victims

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A pregnant woman is facing a fraud charge after police say she collected thousands of dollars from two different couples under the pretense that she would adopt her baby to them.

Christina Bay, 33, was picked up on a warrant in Holly Hill on Wednesday.

Bay is known to local law enforcement. She has charges stemming from 2002. The most recent charge -- adoption deception and organized scheme to defraud -- marks her 11th criminal felony.

Officials from the Daytona Beach Police Department said they became aware of the alleged scheme on Oct. 22 after a local adoption attorney told them that he learned Bay, who had promised her baby to his clients, had also been working with another adoption attorney in West Palm Beach with intent to adopt the baby to a different couple.

Police said Bay signed a contract on April 5 agreeing to adopt the baby to the clients of the local attorney. Between March 29 and Oct. 11, Bay collected $14,254.56 from an escrow account funded by the adoptive parents to help cover her living expenses, according to the affidavit.

Although Bay had already signed a contract that included a clause about false representation, she sought out an attorney in West Palm Beach in August to make arrangements to have her baby adopted, the report said. Bay signed another contract with that attorney and collected $3,942.86 from the family who was hoping to adopt, according to authorities.

Both attorneys attempted to contact Bay to resolve the dispute but they were unable to, police said.

Bay was arrested Wednesday on charges of adoption deception and organized scheme to defraud. Bay was booked into the Volusia County jail Wednesday, however, she was released and taken to local hospital for a medical issue. She's due to give birth on Nov. 22.


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