By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
As 24-year-old aspiring actress was arrested in Canada after the woman allegedly abducted a 1-month-old baby girl. Michelle Marie Gopaul, of New York, is accused of faking a casting call for babies in an elaborate scheme to abduct an infant. She remains in a Canadian jail and faces charges of abduction of a minor, according to Toronto police. After moving to Canada, Gopaul allegedly placed an advertisement on the popular internet website Craigslist offering $15,000 for a newborn to acting in a Bollywood-style film. She posed as a casting director and waiting in a Toronto building for the parents to arrive. Gopaul allegedly abducted the infant after the child’s mother let Gopaul take the infant into a different room. Gopaul fled with the child in a taxi. Luckily, the baby girl was found unharmed a few hours later. Gary Batasar, Gopaul’s laywer, stresses who presumption of innocence and says there is no evidence at this point that shows Gopaul did anything wrong. To read more on this story please see Infant abducted after woman places fake ad on Craigslist.
Fortunately, this child was not harmed or killed in this incident. Gopaul is entitled to an attorney and to defend herself against the charges pressed against her. Sometimes websites such as Craigslist can be advantageous to some consumers. However, people using these sites should always keep in mind that fraud and misrepresentation are committed by many people who use Craigslist and / or other technology as a springboard for their crimes.