Indiana Woman Charged in Profiting from Adoption

Gary women faces fifteen felonies and 16 misdemeanors after criminal investigation

Lake County (December 19, 2012) First Sergeant Jeffery Matson, District Investigation Commander for the Indiana State Police Toll Road, charged Lynn M. Ellis (aka Lynn Smith), 42 of Gary with fifteen felonies and 16 misdemeanors after a criminal investigation discovered she was operating an unauthorized adoption facilitation web sites.

In January 2011, a criminal investigation began after receiving information that Ellis was advertising adoption services on the internet. Two web-sites, Tinkerbell Adoption Referral and The Pregnancy Choices were run by Ellis offering services for the facilitation of adopting children. 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 web-sites. Indiana State Law doesn’t allow a person to facilitate or be involved in adoption without being licensed.
Charged:
Ø Lynn M. Ellis (aka Lynn Smith), 42 of Gary, Indiana
1. One Count of Profiting from Adoption, Class D Felony
2. Fourteen Counts of Fraud, Class D felony
3. Fourteen Counts of Unauthorized Adoption Facilitation, Class A Misdemeanor
4. Two Counts of Unauthorized Adoption Advertising, Class A Misdemeanor

About the Author

George Price - George Price has been publishing the Pendleton-Gazette since 2008. I was raised in central Indiana, Richmond to be more exact, around a auto repair business. Moved to Muncie when I began my career with State Farm Insurance (Best gig I ever had). Stayed with State farm for almost 25 years and then went back into the auto repair business in Indianapolis for 5 more years. Now I'm on a new journey in that I publish a weekly news magazine, the Pendleton-Gazette.com. That too is a very cool thing. I am learning something new almost every day. I am also quite taking with Social Media's growth and what makes it tick.