OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County mom accused of abandoning her three children for years has pleaded no contest to welfare fraud, officials said.
Kelli Bryant, 34, of Pontiac, entered into a plea agreement on three counts of welfare fraud, according to a release from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office said the agreement was made without a sentencing agreement or leniency and does not impact the child abuse charges Bryant faces.
“The resolution of the Welfare Fraud charges in no way impacts the case against Kelli Bryant on the more serious allegations of Child Abuse,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “We fully intend to hold her accountable for the abuse these children suffered because of her alleged neglect.”
In February, Bryant was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse after authorities found her three children — a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old girl — living alone in squalor.
Officials said garbage was piled as high as four feet in some rooms and that mold and feces were found throughout the home.
They survived on food drop-offs that Bryant sent using services like DoorDash and Instacart, but they allegedly were never sent toilet paper, soap or shampoo during their abandonment.
She was later charged with welfare fraud charges for collecting her kids’ public assistance.
“The defendant appears to have effectively abandoned her children while collecting their public assistance,” McDonald said at the time the welfare fraud charges were announced. “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.”
Bryant faces up to life in prison on the child abuse charges.
She is expected to appear in court again on Jan. 28, 2026, for a pretrial hearing.
Click here to see all of our previous coverage of this case.
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