RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) – A Four Oaks, North Carolina woman pleaded guilty to making false statements in child abduction case, prosecutors said.

Rosnah H. Thomason, 43, pleaded guilty to making material false statements during a criminal investigation into the kidnapping of a three-year-old child.

Officers met with Thomason who claimed she was the child’s mother and that while at the Brightleaf Flea Market buying produce, she turned and the child was gone. Officers, along with other search personnel, conducted an extensive search of the area for the child. Witnesses who were interviewed, however, did not remember a child being with Thomason.

The charges against Thomason further allege that agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were called in and, that same day, interviewed Thomason. Through the investigation it was learned that, on May 12, 2008, Thomason had booked flights for herself and the child from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. However, Thomason said that she and the child had spent their entire day (May 17) at a Raleigh park and then returned to their home, where they stayed for the entire evening.

A search of Thomason’s residence also revealed an internet printout on how to report a missing child.

On May 19, 2008, Thomason admitted that she had been dishonest with authorities, claiming that her brother had forced her to turn the child over to him. Law enforcement learned that Thomason’s brother and the child were on a flight to Japan. They unsuccessfully attempted to direct the plane back to the United States based on Thomason’s statements.

Federal agents met with and interviewed Thomason’s brother in Japan, where he claimed the child was his biological offspring and that Thomason refused to return the child after a visit with her. Upon review, the passports and related documentation for the child were determined to be legitimate.

A subsequent DNA analysis confirmed that Thomas was not the mother of the child.

Thomason faces a maximum penalty of up to five years imprisonment followed by up to a three year supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Smithfield Police Department.