Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 8 January 2020

Official quits amid charges he

paid women to give up babies

By JACQUES BILLEAUD ty officials and news orga- Kory Langhofer, one of Pe-
Associated Press nizations presumed he was tersen's attorneys, said his
PHOENIX (AP) — An elect- guilty. client had to choose be-
ed official in metro Phoenix "My focus now turns to de- tween focusing his time and
resigned Tuesday, months fending the allegations money on holding onto his
after being charged with against me," Petersen said. office or preserving his lib-
running a human smug- He is charged with human erty. "It's an unfair choice,
gling operation that paid smuggling in Utah and Ar- but he has ultimately cho-
pregnant women from the kansas and defrauding sen to focus on the criminal
Marshall Islands to give up Arizona's Medicaid system allegations, rather than his In this Nov. 15, 2019, file photo, Maricopa County Assessor Paul
their babies in the U.S. by $800,000 by submitting job," Langhofer said.q Petersen leaves court in Salt Lake City. Associated Press
The resignation of Mari- false applications for the
copa County Assessor Paul women to receive state-
Petersen came after lead- funded health coverage.
ers in the one of the na- Authorities say the women
tion's most populous coun- who went to Utah to give
ties suspended and pres- birth received little or no
sured him to resign after his prenatal care. They also
arrest nearly three months said Petersen and his as-
ago. The county's govern- sociates took passports
ing board voted in late De- from the pregnant women
cember to start the process while they were in the U.S.
of removing Petersen, who to assert more control over
also works as an adoption them.
attorney. Petersen has pleaded not
He is accused of illegally guilty to the charges in
paying women from the Arizona and Arkansas. He
Pacific island nation to hasn't yet entered a plea in
come to the United States Utah.
to give up their babies in at His attorneys have said Pe-
least 70 adoption cases in tersen ran a legal adoption
Arizona, Utah and Arkansas practice and has been vili-
over three years. Citizens of fied before his side of the
the Marshall Islands have story comes out. They had
been prohibited from trav- argued that the county
eling to the U.S. for adop- governing board had no
tion purposes since 2003. basis for suspending him.
In a statement released by County Supervisor Steve
his attorneys, Petersen pro- Gallardo said Petersen has
claimed his innocence and only himself to blame for his
said he never neglected actions. "He took advan-
his duties as assessor, re- tage of these vulnerable
sponsible for determining women for his own per-
the property values in the sonal greed, and he did it
county. on county time," Gallardo
The Republican said coun- said.