Marshallese president applauds arrest in human trafficking and illegal adoptions case
PHOENIX >> The president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands on Thursday applauded U.S. authorities for arresting an Arizona elected official accused of running an illegal adoption scheme involving pregnant Marshallese women.
President Hilda Heine spoke out a week after Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen was arrested on charges in three states that include human smuggling, sale of a child and fraud.
“Marshallese women have been induced by people like Petersen and his ilk for too long,” Heine said in a statement released by the Marshallese government.
Prosecutors say Petersen and his associates recruited Marshallese women who were paid up to $10,000 to come to the United States, where they were crammed into houses to wait to give birth and provide their babies for adoption.
Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/10/18/breaking-news/marshallese-president-applauds-arrest-in-human-trafficking-and-illegal-adoptions-case/
(Honolulu Star Advertiser)
Related thread:
Republican Politician Charged in Human Trafficking Adoption Scheme
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10386563
