A Ukrainian orphan at the center of an adoption scandal might be an adult. Here are 8 adults who were caught posing as children.

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• The story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian orphan at the center of an adoption scandal in Indiana, went viral in September. 
• Her former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett were charged with neglect, five years after they moved to Canada in 2013, leaving the Natalia behind. 
• Kristine Barnett told Daily Mail Online that Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism, is actually a mentally disturbed adult woman who terrorized her family. 
• Natalia is now living with another family in Indiana.
• The story behind Natalia's real age and origin remains unclear. And while Natalia's case is still ongoing, several adults before her have been caught pretending to be minors.
• Here are the stories behind eight adults who posed as minors.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

No one knows the exact age of Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian orphan at the center of an adoption scandal in Indiana. 

Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism that makes it difficult to gauge her age, was thought to be somewhere between 6 and 8 years old when she was adopted in 2010 by Michael and Kristine Barnett. But the Barnetts changed her age from 8 to 22 in 2012, saying they believed their adopted child was actually an adult. 

Natalia's story went viral in September after her former adoptive parents were charged with neglect following a 5-year investigation into the case.

Read more: The Ukrainian orphan accused of being an adult hung out at a drug recovery house and took adult education classes during her mysterious 3-year disappearance

Kristine Barnett told Daily Mail Online that Natalia is actually a mentally disturbed adult woman who terrorized her family until they moved to Canada in 2013, leaving the orphan behind. Natalia is now living with another family in Indiana.

The story behind Natalia's real age and origin remains unclear. Natalia's case is ongoing, but the idea of an adult pretending to be a child is not unprecedented. Several adults before her have attempted to impersonate minors, for a variety of reasons. 

Here are the stories behind eight adults who posed as children.

Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley, 25, posed as a high school student to relive his basketball glory.

Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley posed as a 17-year-old Hurricane Harvey refugee to play basketball at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas, in 2017 and 2018, according to the Dallas Morning News. He also reportedly dated a 14-year-old girl while posing as a student.

In reality, Gilstrap-Portley was a 25-year-old man who played basketball for North Mesquite High School in a Dallas suburb before graduating in 2011. 

His cover was blown in May 2018 after a North Mesquite coach recognized him at a tournament.

Gilstrap-Portley pleaded guilty to posing as a student and received six years' probation for indecency with a child and record tampering, according to the New York Post.

Gilstrap-Portley's father told WFAA-TV in Dallas that his son, who had a a fiancée and a young child, wanted a fresh start in life.

"He made errors. There was no ill-intent," Sidney Portley said. "We apologize for that happening. It was mis-channeled determination. His passion is basketball. He tried to push 'rewind' in his life."

Charity Johnson, 34, posed as a high school sophomore for nearly an entire school year before she was caught. She said she was looking to be loved.

A 34-year-old Texas woman posed as a high school sophomore for nearly an entire school year between 2013 and 2014.

Charity Anne Johnson was sentenced to 85 days in prison in 2014.

She had enrolled at New Life Christian School in Longview, Texas, in October 2013, and led people to believe she was a teenager for seven months, according to ABC News.

She was arrested in June 2014 when she provided a fake ID to police, KFOR reported.

She told officials that her family abandoned her, and that she was just looking for love.

"I'm just a normal person like any other normal person, trying to pursue her education, get her education and make it through life and be a better person," she said, according to KFOR.

A 23-year-old Ukrainian man named Artur Samarin posed as a teenager after his visa ran out. Then he impressed teachers with a 4.16 GPA.

A 23-year-old Ukrainian man posed as a teenager to enroll at John Harris High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 2012.

Artur Samarin, who later admitted to the ploy and was sentenced to two months in prison, used the name Asher Potts to enroll in school, according to ABC News.

Police said at the time that he had remained in the US after his visa expired, and obtained a Social Security Number and a passport under his fictitious identity.

While in school, he impressed teachers with his 4.16 grade-point average and he even joined the school's ROTC program, the Washington Post reported.

It remains unclear how officials discovered he was using a false identity.

He was charged with passport and social security frauds.

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