Brianna Stewart
Encyclopedia
Treva Throneberry is an American who pretended to be a teenage victim of sexual
or satanic ritual abuse
. She spent several years traveling the country, residing in foster homes and colleges, using several aliases. As of 2003, she maintains that she's a woman named Brianna Stewart who was born in 1981.
. Her family later moved to Electra
. Her uncle allegedly molested her and her sisters, though later Treva told the police it was her father.
Throneberry left Electra for Wichita Falls in December 1985 when she was fifteen years old, enrolled in the local high school
and cut contact with her family. She began to tell stories about how she had been abducted and raped by Satanists. A year later she was in a local mental hospital
for five months and refused to speak with her family when they visited. Later she was sent to Lena Pope Home for troubled girls in Fort Worth, Texas
. She kept a distance from her family, sending only a letter now and then. She graduated from Arlington Heights High School
in 1987 and moved to Arlington, Texas
. Eventually she quit her job as a janitor and began to wander around the USA.
s and foster homes and enrolled in local high schools. She said that her Satanist father had raped her and killed her mother or sometimes accused her foster parents of abuse for which police could not find any evidence. All cases were dismissed.
In 1996 Throneberry appeared in Altoona, Pennsylvania
. She said that her name was "Stephanie Danielle Lewis" and that she was sixteen and was fleeing her Satanist parents with the help of the religious underground. After eighteen days of investigation, police contacted a girl she had known in Texas and found out who she really was. She was arrested, charged with giving false information and sentenced to nine days in jail. After her release she disappeared again and continued her wandering.
, as sixteen-year-old Brianna Stewart, attended Evergreen High School
, and lived in various foster homes. She had a boyfriend for a year and a half, Kenny Dunn and told him about her alleged abuse. First she claimed that she originated from Mobile, Alabama
. Sympathetic benefactors gave her money and shelter but she eventually abused their hospitality by claims of abuse. In hindsight, many of the foster homes said they began to suspect that she was not a teenager. One dentist noticed that Stewart no longer had wisdom teeth.
Stewart graduated from Evergreen High School
with the class of 2000 and enrolled in Clark College
. She said that she planned to become a lawyer and children's advocate.
In January 2001 she tried to get an official birth certificate
so she could obtain a Social Security number
. When her fingerprint
s were checked, her original identity was revealed, leading to her arrest in Vancouver, Washington.
, fraud
, and perjury
for trying to obtain legal documents with false identity. She had defrauded the state for foster care and college tuition
worth $4670. She could not raise bail
of $20,000. Other charges around the country also increased the load.
Throneberry continued to insist that she was Brianna Stewart and refused to acknowledge her parents. Authorities proved her original identity with fingerprints and DNA testing. Psychologists and lawyers began to study her, trying to find out if she was a con artist or delusional.
Her trial started in November 2001 in Vancouver. State prosecutors charged that Throneberry was a con artist who had intentionally taken advantage of the social security
system for personal gain. Throneberry fired her court-appointed lawyer and decided to defend herself in court. She was not successful and received three years and two months for fraud
and perjury
and was sent to the Washington Correction Center for Women. The judge recommended that she receive psychotherapy
in prison.
her fraud conviction.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
or satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
. She spent several years traveling the country, residing in foster homes and colleges, using several aliases. As of 2003, she maintains that she's a woman named Brianna Stewart who was born in 1981.
Childhood
Treva Joyce Throneberry was born May 18, 1969, in Wichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
. Her family later moved to Electra
Electra, Texas
Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau counted Electra's population as 3,168 at the 2000 census and estimated it to be 2,891 as of 2006...
. Her uncle allegedly molested her and her sisters, though later Treva told the police it was her father.
Throneberry left Electra for Wichita Falls in December 1985 when she was fifteen years old, enrolled in the local high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and cut contact with her family. She began to tell stories about how she had been abducted and raped by Satanists. A year later she was in a local mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
for five months and refused to speak with her family when they visited. Later she was sent to Lena Pope Home for troubled girls in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. She kept a distance from her family, sending only a letter now and then. She graduated from Arlington Heights High School
Arlington Heights High School
Arlington Heights High School is a secondary school located in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Fort Worth Independent School District...
in 1987 and moved to Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
. Eventually she quit her job as a janitor and began to wander around the USA.
Years around the country
For most of the 1990s, Throneberry wandered around the country using various names and identities. She said she was a teenager with an abusive background, lived in homeless shelterHomeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
s and foster homes and enrolled in local high schools. She said that her Satanist father had raped her and killed her mother or sometimes accused her foster parents of abuse for which police could not find any evidence. All cases were dismissed.
In 1996 Throneberry appeared in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
. She said that her name was "Stephanie Danielle Lewis" and that she was sixteen and was fleeing her Satanist parents with the help of the religious underground. After eighteen days of investigation, police contacted a girl she had known in Texas and found out who she really was. She was arrested, charged with giving false information and sentenced to nine days in jail. After her release she disappeared again and continued her wandering.
Brianna Stewart emerges
In 1998 she lived in Vancouver, WashingtonVancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
, as sixteen-year-old Brianna Stewart, attended Evergreen High School
Evergreen High School (Vancouver, Washington)
Evergreen High School is a public high school located in Vancouver, Washington. It was founded shortly after the district was formed in 1945. Evergreen was the first high school in the Evergreen Public Schools.-Facilities:...
, and lived in various foster homes. She had a boyfriend for a year and a half, Kenny Dunn and told him about her alleged abuse. First she claimed that she originated from Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. Sympathetic benefactors gave her money and shelter but she eventually abused their hospitality by claims of abuse. In hindsight, many of the foster homes said they began to suspect that she was not a teenager. One dentist noticed that Stewart no longer had wisdom teeth.
Stewart graduated from Evergreen High School
Evergreen High School (Vancouver, Washington)
Evergreen High School is a public high school located in Vancouver, Washington. It was founded shortly after the district was formed in 1945. Evergreen was the first high school in the Evergreen Public Schools.-Facilities:...
with the class of 2000 and enrolled in Clark College
Clark College (Washington)
Clark College is a community college located in Vancouver, Washington.The college, which celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 1, 2008, was founded as a private, two-year, junior college in 1933...
. She said that she planned to become a lawyer and children's advocate.
In January 2001 she tried to get an official birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
so she could obtain a Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
. When her fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s were checked, her original identity was revealed, leading to her arrest in Vancouver, Washington.
Arrest and criminal case
On March 22, 2001, Throneberry was arrested for theftTheft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
, fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
, and perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
for trying to obtain legal documents with false identity. She had defrauded the state for foster care and college tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
worth $4670. She could not raise bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
of $20,000. Other charges around the country also increased the load.
Throneberry continued to insist that she was Brianna Stewart and refused to acknowledge her parents. Authorities proved her original identity with fingerprints and DNA testing. Psychologists and lawyers began to study her, trying to find out if she was a con artist or delusional.
Her trial started in November 2001 in Vancouver. State prosecutors charged that Throneberry was a con artist who had intentionally taken advantage of the social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
system for personal gain. Throneberry fired her court-appointed lawyer and decided to defend herself in court. She was not successful and received three years and two months for fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
and was sent to the Washington Correction Center for Women. The judge recommended that she receive psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
in prison.
Aftermath
Throneberry was released on June 18, 2003, after two years. As of 2003, she continued to maintain that she is Brianna Stewart and tried to appealAppeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
her fraud conviction.
In popular culture
- Her story was used in the 13th season of Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
for an episode called "Shangri-La". - The case served as possible inspiration for another episode of the franchise; the 8th season Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
episode called "Pretend".