Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her 3 children for years charged with welfare fraud
A Pontiac mother accused of child abuse and abandoning her three children for years is now facing additional charges.
Kelli Bryant, 34, has been charged with three counts of welfare fraud. Bryant is already facing three counts of first-degree child abuse.
The welfare fraud charges stem from a review by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services of Bryant's support payments. MDHHS alleges Bryant obtained an overpayment by fraud of $29,397 from January 2022 through February 2025.
"The defendant appears to have effectively abandoned her children while collecting their public assistance," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a statement. "This crime is, first and foremost, a theft from Kelli Bryant's children. These resources were intended to ensure they had the basic necessities denied to them. The children deserved better."
Welfare fraud of more than $500 is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.
McDonald charged Bryant in connection with a child neglect case where three children were found living in a Pontiac home in "deplorable shape" and allegedly abandoned by their mother nearly five years ago. McDonald is seeking to terminate the mother's parental rights.
Three children were found in the home: a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl.
Deputies received a call on Feb. 14 from a landlord at a residence on the 600 block of Lydia Lane in Pontiac after not hearing from the mother since December 2024. The landlord said rent had not been paid since October, and he was concerned something might have happened.
When deputies arrived at the home, they found it in a vile state. They found mold and human waste throughout, garbage piled as high as four feet, and an overflowing toilet. The children were reportedly covered in feces, and the two girls had trouble walking out of the house.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said investigators believe the children were abandoned between 2020 and 2021. According to McDonald, Bryant was living with her four children at the home in 2019 and left with one of her children, who is now living with their father. Officials say Bryant has four children with two different fathers.
Pontiac city leaders say the home was not properly registered as a rental property. According to Pontiac City Council President Mike McGuinness, the unit was being unlawfully rented out and as a result, wasn't subject to inspections.
