Sarah Treleaven

For months, dozens of unwitting birth workers coached a supposedly expecting client named Kaitlyn Braun through a series of grotesque labor scenarios. Now, in a sprawling international court case, she faces 52 criminal charges for making it all up. In their first major magazine interviews, five of Kaitlyn’s accusers describe how they fell under her chilling, persuasive power.

Sabrina Taylor was a starry-eyed American tourist in Japan, her frequent visits unfurling like cartoon fever dreams. Then her vacation squad started comparing notes—and discovered that Sabrina’s life back home was make-believe.