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.
More Stories
Proposition 411 Special Election
More than 28,000 early ballots counted today; about 9,000 more early ballots plus 18,000 provisionals left to process and count
Presidential candidates call for investigation into ‘toxic culture’ at NBC News ahead of MSNBC debate
3 new candidates for European Commission clear 1st hurdle
The 2020 election is one year away. Here are five things to watch in Florida
See Cuyahoga County election results for November 2019