Butler County Jail
An Ohio bakery owner—who for nearly 20 years lived a double life after stealing a dead baby’s identity—is on the hook for more than $1.5 million in ill-gotten gains and will soon head off to prison, though she’s asking for one last taste of freedom before then.
Flight-attendant-turned-cupcake-entrepreneur Ava Virginia Misseldine, 50, pleaded guilty last month to 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of passport fraud. Misseldine, who ran a string of popular organic bake shops around the Columbus area, had been masquerading since 2003 as Brie Bourgeois—an infant who died in 1979 at just 18 weeks old.
Misseldine was released from prison in 2000 following a 1997 conviction for theft and forgery. She then became Brie Bourgeois, using her new name to get a job as a flight attendant, obtain a student pilot’s license, a passport, and a Social Security card. Misseldine toggled back and forth between the two names, largely operating her businesses under her legitimate identity. One of her stores, the Koko Tea Salon & Bakery, was even featured on the Food Network for its signature red velvet cupcakes.