Rockville adoption lawyer pleads guilty in baby-selling ring

By: Brian Hughes

A Rockville adoption lawyer has pleaded guilty to engaging in a wide-ranging operation to sell babies out of California, court documents show.

The founder of the National Adoption and Surrogacy Center in Rockville, Hilary Neiman, pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of California.

Prosecutors said that between 2005 and 2011 Neiman and California reproductive law lawyer Theresa Erickson sent women to Ukraine to be implanted with embryos. Neiman then would offer the babies to aspiring parents for more than $100,000 each, telling prospective buyers that a previous -- and lawful -- surrogacy arrangement had fallen apart.

"Women would be solicited to travel overseas to become implanted with embryos in order to create a steady flow of newborns with the promise that they would be paid between $38,000 to $45,000 for each successful pregnancy that resulted in a birth," court documents said.

Neiman and Erickson would split the remaining money, according to authorities.

Under California law, carriers and intended parents must have an agreement in place before any embryonic transfer.

Neither Neiman nor her attorney, Gregory Vega, could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Court documents do not identify how many babies were sold during the roughly six-year stretch of the operation.

During one email exchange with a carrier, Neiman asked about the prospect of splitting up twins between a pair of "family friends."

"I honestly do not know how I feel about this," the carrier responded. "Firstly, I am not opposed to it, however it does not give me the warm fuzzys. What if something goes wrong and one twin dies ... I would of course prefer to place together! But would be open to it."

Neiman and Erickson created false surrogacy documents in California, which allowed them to pocket money for selling parental rights. The duo also submitted fake forms to receive insurance coverage for delivery of the babies.

Neiman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 in federal court. She faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.