Norfolk Woman Pleads Guilty to Attempted Kidnapping

NORFOLK, VA—Jaquissa Bryant, 21, of Norfolk, Va., pleaded guilty today to attempted kidnapping and false statements.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the plea was taken by United States District Magistrate Judge Tommy Miller.

Bryant was originally indicted on June 24, 2011, by a federal grand jury on kidnapping and false statements. Bryant faces a maximum penalty of 25 years when she is sentenced on April 26, 2012.

In a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Bryant admitted that in April 2011, she attempted to take a 4-month-old infant who she was babysitting from Norfolk, Virginia, to Alabama. When Bryant reached Alabama, she presented the infant as her own biological child to her family. The infant was soon returned unharmed to the mother in Norfolk.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Norfolk Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Yusi is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.