COUPLE SLAM ADOPTION 'SCAM' LAWYER

SUSAN EDELMAN

New York Post

A heartbroken couple hoping to adopt a baby from a foreign country has accused a Connecticut lawyer of keeping their money after failing to get a child.

The Connecticut couple claim that Maria Tomasky, of Westport, won't return any of the $12,500 down payment she took from them, according to court papers.

Caroline and Jim Kelly say they hired Tomasky to get them a daughter after she claimed she "knew people" and could pull strings to get kids from Romania.

The Kellys are suing Tomasky for breaching their $25,000 contract by failing to return most of their down payment.

Assured by Tomasky that she would deliver a baby girl in a year, they say, the Kellys prepared a room, complete with crib.

Eighteen months later, the crib is still empty - and the Kellys say Tomasky did little, but kept the $12,500 she took.

Tomasky's attorney, David Atkins, said she would not comment on the suit.

Experts say would-be parents in New York and nationwide must beware.

"The international adoption business is largely unregulated and fraught with scams - and dashed hopes," said James Marsh, an adoption lawyer in White Plains and senior fellow with the Center for Adoption Research in Massachusetts.