Black Child Listed for Sale on eBay for $1K: Her Cousin Posted the Ad

Autumn Braden, 20,  of Grand Rapids, Mich., was arrested after police received several calls from around the country about a listing placed on eBay offering a 2-year-old child for $1,000.

Autumn, who had been babysitting the child for her cousin, admitted her involvement, but insisted it was a hoax. She told authorities she never intended to go through with the transaction, but was hoping to receive money to pay her past due rent and other bills.

Braden faced felony charges of trying to obtain money under false pretenses, but she was referred to Kent County’s diversion program, an alternative for someone with no prior criminal record. Prosecutor William Forsyth said they showed the young woman some judicial mercy because the crime was of a nonviolent nature and Braden had no prior trouble with the law.

“It was apparent that all she was trying to do was to con someone out of money,” he told 24 Hour News 8. Braden’s criminal record will be wiped clean upon completion of the program.

There is no word on how the child’s mother felt about the crime or the resolution.