Adoption fraud, also known as illegal

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

, can be defined as when a person or institute attempts to either illegally adopt a child or illegally give up a child for adoption. Common ways in which this can be done include dishonesty and

bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...

Prevalence and statistics

It can be quite difficult to obtain accurate statistics concerning adoption fraud. However, according to government statistics, "603 adoptions were recorded by

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's courts in 2005, an increase of 20 percent over the previous year, according to government statistics. But fewer than 60 of these adoptions were carried out through

state channel Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

s", meaning that in some regions of the world up to 90% of adoptions have the potential of being illegal.

Prevention and variants

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and other forms of identification may help in convicting and catching those who do adoption fraud. This technology also has the potential to block potential criminals from committing this crime beforehand.

Consequences

In addition to being an offense that carries a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

in many nations (including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) adoption fraud is also illegal on an international scale. Perpetrators of this felony may face

imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

and

fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...

s if they are convicted.

Famous cases

*The Adoption of Case No. 6815 Michael Edward Chalek Circuit Court of the 8th Judicial Circuit in and for Alachua County Florida *Scott and Karen Banks - Focus on Children,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

*Others involved: Dan Wakefield *The Adoption o
Michelle Riess
- New Jersey (1976) * The

Tennessee Children's Home Society Tennessee Children's Home Society was a chain of orphanages that operated in the state of Tennessee during the first half of the twentieth century. It is most often associated with Georgia Tann, its Memphis branch operator and child trafficker ...

, an unlicensed adoption agency used by its longtime director

Georgia Tann Beulah George "Georgia" Tann (July 18, 1891 – September 15, 1950), was an American child trafficker who operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee. Tann used the unlicensed home as a front fo ...

as a front for black market adoptions. An investigation in 1950 revealed the illegal activities of the Society; Tann died that year before she could be prosecuted. Many celebrities, among them

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

and the husband-wife pair of

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

and

June Allyson June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She sign ...

, used the Society for their adoptions, but were unaware of the means Tann used to obtain children. Professional wrestling legend

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

was one of the last children adopted through the Society. *The legal kidnapping of James Elliott Rossler by Katherine Sharp. When the birth mother changed her mind during her pregnancy, Katherine Sharp proceeded to adopt "baby Elliott" nearly 3 weeks later. The Bring Baby Elliott Home Facebook page that brought attention to the case was temporarily removed. However, in June 2019, a judge allowed the controversial page to continue. Sharp continues to have interlocutory custody as the case is still pending trial.

Television

The '' Dr. Phil Show'' had an episode revolving around an adoption scam between a couple and single mother. The couple placed an ad on

Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, Gig worker, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. Craig Newmark ...

to which the scammer immediately replied. The couple was sent fake ultrasounds and fake medical reports, and received money. With the use of technology, the scammer was able to keep the lie about giving the child to them for more than nine months. The episode informed people about signs to look out for when adopting a child, especially when it is not through an adoption agency.

Prevalence and statistics

Prevention and variants

Consequences

Famous cases

Television

See also

References

Further reading