Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her kids pleads no contest to welfare fraud

Pontiac mother accused of calling children's caregiver from jail

According to a press release from McDonald's office, Bryant called the person taking care of her three children 10 times over a four-day period. She also allegedly had other inmates call the caregiver on their behalf as she attempted to discuss the children and her criminal case.

(FOX 2) - The Pontiac mother accused of abandoning her three kids, leaving them to fend for themselves for years inside an apartment, has pleaded no contest to three counts of welfare fraud.

Kelli Bryant, 34, pleaded no contest on Monday in the sixth circuit court, more than nine months after she was arrested by police when her kids were found living in squalor in Pontiac. 

She has a pre-trial hearing for related child abuse charges in January, which is scheduled for the same day as her sentencing in this case.

The backstory:

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office took Bryant into custody after deputies were called to the residence to perform a welfare check. 

The landlord told police he had not heard from her in months and was worried something had happened. When police arrived, they found a home full of garbage, along with mold and human waste.

Inside was a 15-year-old boy and two girls, 12 and 13. The boy told police they had been living at the home for years and rarely left the apartment. 

The children survived on food that had been dropped off on the front porch each week by either Bryant or another stranger. 

The welfare fraud charges arrived a month after her arrest for allegedly collecting overpayments from the health department. 

Kelli Bryant

What they're saying:

"The resolution of the Welfare Fraud charges in no way impacts the case against Kelli Bryant on the more serious allegations of Child Abuse," said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. "We fully intend to hold her accountable for the abuse these children suffered because of her alleged neglect."