Officials have announced on Wednesday that a woman from Georgia is now facing federal charges in Middle Tennessee. This comes after authorities executed several search warrants, including one for her home.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, Gabryele “Gabby” Watson, a 26-year-old from Athens, Georgia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of cyberstalking and one count of interstate transmission of threats to kidnap or injure.
According to recent reports, Watson has been charged with participating in an adoption scam that specifically targeted an elderly couple residing in Middle Tennessee. In addition to this, he has also been accused of making an interstate threat while communicating with the couple. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has released a statement providing a detailed breakdown of the charges, which was updated earlier this month.
As it relates to count one, beginning on or about May 26, 2023, and continuing through at least on or about August 30, 2023, in the Middle District of Tennessee and elsewhere, the defendant, GABRYELE WATSON, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate another person, that is, Victim One, did use an electronic communication service, and an electronic communication system of interstate commerce, and a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, to engage in a course of conduct that caused, attempted to cause, and would be reasonably expected to cause, substantial emotional distress to Victim One. As it relates to count two, beginning on or about May 26, 2023, and continuing through at least on or about August 30, 2023, in the Middle District of Tennessee and elsewhere, the defendant, GABRYELE WATSON, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate another person, that is, Victim Two, did use an electronic communication service, and an electronic communication system of interstate commerce, and a facility of interstate and foreign commerce, to engage in a course of conduct that caused, attempted to cause, and would be reasonably expected to cause, substantial emotional distress to Victim Two. As it relates to count three, on or about June 7, 2023, in the Middle District of Tennessee and elsewhere, the defendant, GABRYELE WATSON , did knowingly and willfully transmit in interstate and foreign commerce a communicating to Victims One and Two, that is, text messages threatening to kidnap and injure Victims One and Two, including by sending a hitman to murder them.
According to reports, Watson could face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count if found guilty.
Officials have reported that the Nashville Resident Agency of the FBI’s Memphis Field Office conducted an investigation into the case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison from the Middle District of Tennessee and Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky from the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
According to the FBI, Watson’s main focus was on couples who were looking to adopt children from 2015 to the present.
If you or someone you know has any information about this case or may be a victim, please reach out to your local FBI field office. You can also visit the FBI’s website, or the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website for more information.
There is no further information available regarding this case.