Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen, an elected official in charge of property valuation, is facing national scrutiny for his involvement in questionable adoptions from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, according to an investigation by Honolulu Civil Beat.

The non-profit media entity released a two-part investigation late last week questioning the legality of some practices by Petersen and other private adoption attorneys.

According to the report, Petersen arranges and pays for pregnant Marshallese women to fly to Utah and live in a four-bedroom house he owns outside of Salt Lake City. He then matches them with adoptive families.

The Compact of Free Associations, a treaty enacted in the early 2000s, prohibits Marshallese women considering an adoption plan for their children from traveling to the United States without a special visa.

The treaty was enacted to control black market adoptions from the Marshall Islands. Civil Beat reported that pregnant women, who did not understand the consequences of adoption, were rampantly exploited in the 1990s. Some were told that their children would return when they turned 18.

The travel restrictions were supposed to protect pregnant women. But, according to Civil Beat, some high-dollar adoption attorneys, including Petersen, have found a way around the law. Marshall Islands citizens not planning adoptions do not need visas to travel to the United States.

Petersen: "I follow... the laws"

In a statement sent to The Arizona Republic, Petersen said he is "extremely proud" of the work he's done over decades "to help mothers and fathers and create new families."

"My work is personally rewarding as I have helped hundreds of couples trying to adopt children," Petersen said. "I only work with children who are United States citizens. I follow closely the laws of the states I work in and adhere to federal rules and guidelines that govern adoptions.

"I will continue doing the work that I love and enrich the lives of numerous families," Petersen said.

In an interview with Civil Beat, Petersen's attorney Matthew Long would not say whether Petersen has arranged for pregnant Marshallese women to travel to the United States.

According to Civil Beat, Petersen, who is Mormon, served his mission as a young man in the Marshall Islands and learned to speak the language.

According to his law office website, Petersen has a "unique insight and passion in assisting Marshallese birth families with their adoption plans." The website says he has assisted with hundreds of Marshallese adoptions "across many different states."

Petersen is licensed to practice law in Arizona, Utah and Arkansas.

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