PONTIAC, Mich. (Court TV) — A Michigan mother accused of abandoning her three children for years while collecting welfare benefits has pleaded no contest to fraud charges as she awaits trial on more serious child abuse allegations.
This booking photo provided by the Oakland County Jail shows Kelli Bryant, a Michigan woman accused of abandoning three of her children in a home for years. (Oakland County Jail)
Kelli Bryant, 34, entered the plea to three counts of welfare fraud in Oakland County’s Sixth Circuit Court. Each felony count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Bryant’s plea was made without any sentencing agreement or promise of leniency from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, according to a news release from Prosecutor Karen McDonald’s office. Sentencing on the welfare fraud charges is scheduled for March 12 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The welfare fraud charges stem from allegations that Bryant collected government assistance from Jan. 1, 2022, through Feb. 14, 2025, while not providing care for her children. Court documents indicate Bryant obtained benefits “by means of willful false statement or representation” for assistance she was not entitled to receive.
Bryant still faces trial on three counts of first-degree child abuse, which could result in a life sentence if convicted. A pretrial hearing for the child abuse case is scheduled for Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. ET, with the trial tentatively set to begin March 2.
“The resolution of the welfare fraud charges in no way impacts the case against Kelli Bryant on the more serious allegations of child abuse,” McDonald said. “We fully intend to hold her accountable for the abuse these children suffered because of her alleged neglect.”
The charges stem from a horrifying discovery police made on Feb. 14, 2025, while conducting a welfare check on Bryant. Instead of finding the mother, officers found her three children — a 15-year-old boy and his sisters, ages 12 and 13 — living alone in deplorable conditions.
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Police said the children had been abandoned in the Pontiac home for approximately five years, living among garbage piled up to five feet high. The children’s hair was matted and they were covered in feces when found, according to prosecutors.
“The children were afraid to come out of their hiding places and to speak with the police. The police had to repeatedly advise the children that they were there to help and they were safe,” McDonald said when the charges were first announced.
The home’s conditions were so severe that hazmat crews were required for cleanup. At the hospital, the children struggled with basic hygiene tasks like flushing a toilet or brushing their teeth because they hadn’t performed these activities in years, McDonald said.
Authorities believe the children were between 7 and 10 years old when Bryant allegedly abandoned them. Bryant allegedly lived within a few miles of the home where her children were found.
Bryant’s defense team has stated she has an unspecified mental health diagnosis for which she received treatment and has no prior criminal history.
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