A Gary woman has been charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors after
the Indiana State Police said that she operated as an unauthorized adoption
facilitator.
Lynn M. Ellis—also known as Lynn Smith—42, was charged with one count of
profiting from an adoption; two counts of unauthorized adoption advertising;
14 counts of unauthorized adoption facilitation; and 14 counts of fraud.
According to police, in January 2011 a criminal investigation was begun
after the ISP received information that Ellis was advertising adoption
services on the Internet.
“Two websites, Tinkerbell Adoption Referral and The Pregnancy Choices, were
run by Ellis offering services for the facilitation of adopting children,”
police said. “Individuals (throughout the United States) seeking adoption
would pay a fee believing they were beginning the process of being paired
with an adoptive mother. No adoption was ever concluded from these
transactions.”
“Further investigation revealed that Ellis is not a licensed adoption
facilitator with the State of Indiana or her websites,” police also said.
“Indiana state law doesn’t allow a person to facilitate or be involved in
adoption without being licensed.”
The investigation was conducted by First Sgt. Jeffery Matson.
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