Garland County woman hit with felony charge for pretending to be pregnant while on trial 

On one hand, you kind of have to grudgingly respect the chutzpah it took for Christina Marie Gaston, 48, to pretend to be pregnant in the hopes a jury might be sympathetic and keep her out of jail.

On the other hand, the fact that her little ruse could keep her in jail for multiple more years suggests that bold or not, the effort backfired spectacularly. So maybe save your applause and just offer a more muted fist pump in celebration.

Gaston was on trial in February in Garland County on charges of theft by receiving and fraudulent use of a credit/debit card, with both charges bumped up to felonies because of her prior criminal record. She appeared visibly pregnant, and while testifying under oath she confirmed that she was pregnant.

Following two days of trial, the jury convicted Gaston on both charges, and she was immediately taken into custody. During her intake at the Garland County jail, deputies realized she was wearing what court records describe as a “fake silicone pregnancy device.” She was given a pregnancy test, and it came back negative.

Prosecutors obtained a court order for her medical records the following morning, and they then used those records to inform the jury of Gaston’s subterfuge. The jury sentenced Gaston to 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Now prosecutors have filed a felony perjury charge against Gaston stemming from the fake pregnancy. According to court records, prosecutors say Gaston made a “false material statement” while under oath when she testified that she was pregnant. 

Perjury is a class C felony. Because of her criminal record, Gaston is charged as a habitual offender, so she faces a sentence of 3-30 years if convicted, as well as a fine of up to $10,000. No court dates have yet been set in this case.

The new perjury case is styled as State v. Christina Marie Gaston, 26CR-23-355, in Garland County Circuit Court.