Suspended Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen is facing 32 felony charges in Maricopa County Superior Court related to allegations that he operated an illegal international adoption scheme.
Prosecutors say Petersen, in his private-sector career as an adoption attorney, illegally arranged for pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to fly to the U.S. to deliver their babies. They allege Petersen fraudulently registered the women for the state’s Medicaid system and then arranged the adoptions of their children for up to $40,000.
Hear everything you need to know about this scandal in this week’s episode of The Gaggle, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.
Hosts and national political reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen talk with reporters Jessica Boehm and Robert Anglen about the case and how it has revealed weaknesses is Arizona’s adoption system, Medicare system, judicial system and more.
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