Vietnamese court sends 6 to prison for arranging more than 300 fraudulent foreign adoptions

Vietnam jails 6 for adoption fraud

HANOI, Vietnam — A Vietnamese court official says six people have been sentenced to up to 4 1/2 years in prison for arranging more than 300 fraudulent adoptions.

Among those sentenced were the heads of two welfare centers who helped persuade unwed pregnant mothers to give up their babies in exchange for free food and shelter.

Chief judge Dang Viet Hung of Nam Dinh provincial court says the six were convicted of “abuse of power and authority.” Ten others were given suspended sentences in the scam, which involved filing false paperwork for 323 babies.

Many of the babies are believed to have been adopted by parents in the United States and Italy.