The following article titled “Will Paul Petersen and His Accomplices in Child Trafficking Ever See Justice?” was written by Brian Shilhavy and published for Medical Kidnap on December 2nd, 2019. Its length and content have been edited to share on Saving Grace Advocates‘ blog.

Corruption Involving Paul Petersen

Arizona Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen, who was indicted in three different states for illegally trafficking children through his adoption agency, has requested that his trial in Arkansas be delayed for almost a year. Currently, he is free on bond.

The hub of Petersen’s alleged illegal activities was Maricopa County, in Arizona. There, he serves as the County Assessor, an elected official. So far, authorities in Arizona have been unsuccessful in removing him from office. However, they recently seized a number of his assets.

Who Helped Paul Petersen with his Child Trafficking Operation?

So far, no one in the mainstream media seems to be doing any investigative work. At this point in time, they have not attempted to try to uncover this scandal further. It’s hard to believe that Paul Petersen could have accomplished this operation on his own. This is especially suspect as he served in a public office as County Assessor for Maricopa County.

Health Impact News has conducted its own investigation. If federal law enforcement is serious about stopping child trafficking flowing through Arizona, Mr. Petersen’s connections should be investigated.

Doug Ducey is the governor of Arizona and had strong ties to Petersen. Originally, their relationship could be seen on Petersen’s Twitter feed. However, these posts have since been removed. Petersen endorsed Ducey’s campaign to become the Governor of Arizona.

Arizona Foster Care Corruption

Of course, Arizona foster care has been ripe with corruption for years. This has been covered by many media outlets for some time. Having connections with the agency overseeing foster care (Arizona Department of Child Safety, or CPS), the County Attorney, and judges who oversee adoptions would all help.

Bill Montgomery was the Maricopa County Attorney for much of the time Petersen was operating. He was then appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court as a judge by Doug Ducey. Soon after, Governor Ducey appointed Allister Adel, the former general counsel for the Arizona DCS. Naturally, this agency is responsible for putting children into foster care.

Paul Petersen was able to establish connections in the Marshall Islands where he performed his Mormon missionary services. As a young Mormon missionary, Petersen learned to speak Marshallese, and made lasting contacts. Soon after, an international adoption agency recruited him. This was due to his fluency in Marshallese. While he was still a college student, he traveled to the islands to arrange adoptions.

What About the Judges?

We interviewed Lori Ford, the head of the Arizona DCS Oversight Group, on The Medical Kidnap Show recently.

Lori and her group had just attended a quarterly meeting with Cindy McCain’s Arizona Human Trafficking Council. Originally, this was set up by Governor Doug Ducey. Lori lamented that the topic of Paul Petersen’s arrest and adoption scandal was never addressed once during the meeting! Additionally, Lori mentioned that these alleged illegal adoptions that Paul Petersen arranged had to be signed off by a judge. So who is going to hold these judges accountable?

She mentioned one case from years ago. In it, a Dependency Court judge refused to sign off on one of Petersen’s adoptions because it was illegal. However, the case was appealed and Judge Ann Timmer overruled the Dependency Court judge’s decision.

Interview with Kathy Hall

Next, we interviewed Kathy Hall, a grandmother who was living in Arkansas when her daughter was tragically killed by a hit-and-run vehicle driven by an illegal alien. Her daughter left behind a young child. Ever since, Kathy has been fighting to get access to her granddaughter. With no help from attorneys in Arkansas, Kathy turned to an Arkansas State Senator, Linda Collins-Smith.

The two became close friends until Linda Collins-Smith was murdered in Arkansas. This occurred within hours after returning from a trip to Arizona. There, she was reportedly investigating child trafficking. Kathy then found out through a Social Media post that her granddaughter had already been adopted. Even more devastating, the family had left the State of Arkansas and moved to Wisconsin. The attorney who allegedly arranged the adoption was Paul Petersen.

Arkansas Judge Stacey Zimmerman is the judge that allegedly adopted out Kathy Hall’s granddaughter. Paul Petersen had ties to the family she was sent to live with. She is also the judge that allegedly handled all of Paul Petersen’s illegal adoptions.

Is anyone investigating Judge Stacey Zimmerman for her part in all of this? For those investigating Senator Linda Collins-Smith’s murder, is anyone tying in her case to Paul Petersen? Or are people too afraid of whoever is behind Senator Linda Collins-Smith’s death? If Paul Petersen and his attorney have their way, his case will not even begin until next October.

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