According to the indictment, which was unsealed [Oct. 28], Cohen had lied about "prospective adoptions which the defendant knew did not exist" and showed clients false documents, including fake sonograms. ...
Authorities have described the scam as an "adoption Ponzi scheme" because Cohen may have used funds from new clients to partially refund the fee of a client who had not obtained a baby.
Thirteen families, some from New York and others from Georgia, Texas and Ohio, gave money -- up to $65,000 in one case -- believing it would be held in escrow to pay for medical costs and expenses of the birth mothers, which in reality did not exist, [Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice] said.
Cohen's attorney, Matin Emouna, said in an interview that his client denies the charges. He added that Cohen was an adopted child himself, and had successfully placed five or six children with families through the nonprofit Adoption Annex he founded in 2004.
Labels: adoption fraud
Posted By: Aspen/CRC
