Arizona official resigns amid human smuggling charges
01/08/2020 7:43 am PST
via KFSM:
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. (KFSM/AP) -- An Arizona elected official has resigned amid charges he paid women from the Marshall Islands to give up their children for adoption in the U.S.
Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen's resignation Jan. 7 came after county leaders suspended him.
Petersen has been charged with illegally paying women to come to the United States to give up their babies for adoption in three states.
He faces human smuggling charges in Utah and Arkansas and is accused of defrauding Arizona's Medicaid system.
His attorneys say Petersen ran a legal adoption practice and has been vilified before his side of the story comes out.
MORE: Arizona Official Paul Petersen Quits Job Amid Adoption Scheme Charges In Arkansas - KFSM
