Poway Lawyer Busted in Black-Market Baby Ring

A Poway attorney admitted to being part of a black market baby-selling ring on Tuesday.

Theresa Erickson, 43, and her conspirators created an inventory of infants by impregnating women overseas and selling the babies for $100,000 each, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said.

Erickson offered her baby inventory to unsuspecting parents, claiming the babies would be born from a surrogate mother but the original parents had backed out of the arrangement.

Erickson also admitted to submitting false documents to the San Diego Superior Court, which stated the unborn babies were the products of a legitimate surrogacy arrangement, Duffy said. Once the papers were filed the court, Duffy said Erickson would then add the names of the parents who had purchased the child.

Erickson also submitted claims to the State of California's Access for Infants and Mothers program to pay for the children's delivery.

Erickson is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She faces a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to five years in prison.

Erickson's co-conspirators and Carla Chambers and Hilary Neiman already pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges.
 
Theresa Erickson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28, 2011.

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