Athens woman sentenced after threatening to kill couples trying to adopt

ATHENS, Ga. - An Athens woman was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison Sunday after prosecutors said she used stolen identities to torment couples seeking to adopt a baby.

What we know:

Gabryele Watson, 30, of Athens, Georgia, received a 20-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release on Sunday, according to court documents. 

The punishment comes after Watson pleaded guilty on July 25, 2025, to federal charges of cyberstalking, communicating threats to injure across state lines, and unlawful use of identification.

Federal investigators found that from May to June 2023, Watson targeted a married couple in Tennessee who had spent eight years trying to adopt a child. 

She stole the online identity of a pregnant teenager from Pennsylvania, copied her social media posts, and pretended to be a teen facing an unplanned pregnancy who wanted to give up her baby.

Watson forced the couple to remain available at all hours, ordered them to purchase maternity clothing and baby items, and then claimed the baby suffered from life-threatening medical issues. 

Court records show she ultimately threatened to abort the child, commit suicide, and kill the couple.

Dig deeper:

Federal authorities revealed that Watson ran an identical scheme against a second married couple living in Tennessee. 

During that incident, she pretended to be an 18-year-old woman in Arkansas who was pregnant with high-risk twins.

Watson went as far as speaking on a speakerphone with the family's two young sons to get them excited about the upcoming adoption. 

She eventually turned on the family and threatened to kill the couple and their children.

What they're saying:

"This defendant, for her own selfish and evil reasons, preyed on the hopes and dreams of a young couple who simply wanted to be parents," said U.S. Attorney Braden Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee. "This kind of fraud is devastating to those it affects, it cannot be tolerated, and today’s punishment shows that we will hold those who commit it accountable for their actions."

What we don't know:

While court records outline the specific states where the victims lived, officials have not released the names of the families or the teenagers whose online accounts were copied by Watson. It is also unknown how federal investigators initially traced the spoofed text messages and fake social media pages back to Watson's home in Georgia.