State moves to close south Florida adoption agency linked to baby trafficking

Associated Press Archive

Dateline: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

The state took steps Monday to shut down a south Florida adoption agency that has been linked to an international baby trafficking ring, saying it broke dozens of state rules.

International Adoption Resource has been under scrutiny since September, when Costa Rican authorities raided a house in San Jose and found nine Guatemalan babies in a suspected illegal adoption ring.

State investigators said in a complaint made public Monday and obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that it intends to revoke the company's operating license for actions that "negatively affected many children in Central America."

The company's director lied on her resume, gave the state incomplete financial audits, and did not include in case files information such as where children came from or why their parents were giving them up, according to the state.

The adoption agency also allegedly tried to place a child with a homosexual couple, despite a state ban.

Violations by the adoption agency "posed an immediate serious danger to the public health, safety and welfare of the children and potential adoptive families," said Jack Moss, district administrator of the Department of Children & Families.

The company's attorney, Michael B. Cohen, declined to comment on the specific allegations, but said the adoption agency is contesting them.

In September, officials in Costa Rica discovered nine Guatemalan babies in a makeshift nursery, allegedly run by an illegal adoption ring. Officials linked the babies to a Costa Rican lawyer associated with the Coral Springs agency.

An attorney for the company acknowledged that the adoption agency leased the house, which was used by Guatemalan women who wanted to bypass a halt on foreign adoptions in their country. But she said the arrangement was legal under Costa Rican law.