Mary Mooney, Adoption Fraud, South Carolina 2023

In a shocking case of exploitation, three individuals, including the founder and CEO of International Adoption Guides (IAG), have been sentenced for their roles in adoption fraud schemes.

Mary Mooney, 58, of Mooresville, North Carolina, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and $223,946.04 in restitution for her role in accreditation fraud regarding adoptions conducted in Kazakhstan. James Harding, 57, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Alisa Bivens, 36, of Gastonia, North Carolina, were sentenced for conspiring to defraud the United States in connection with adoptions conducted in Ethiopia.

According to the investigation, Mooney, Harding, and Bivens submitted fraudulent documents to the U.S. Department of State to facilitate adoptions of Ethiopian children by U.S. parents from 2006 until 2009. The evidence presented at their guilty pleas and sentencings established that they and Mooney on behalf of IAG paid bribes to two Ethiopian officials, a teacher at a government school, and a head of a regional ministry for women’s and children’s affairs, to facilitate the fraudulent adoptions.

Mooney made false statements to the Council on Accreditation (COA), which granted IAG accreditation to provide adoption services. IAG marketed itself as a COA-accredited adoption services provider, and numerous clients relied on IAG’s accreditation to confirm IAG’s adoption services were ethical and in compliance with the law.

Harding and Bivens admitted to their roles in the scheme, providing substantial assistance to the Government. Mooney’s sentence was handed down by United States District Judge David C. Norton of Charleston, South Carolina.

United States Attorney Beth Drake stated, “The defendants undermined the laws and regulations designed to ensure the integrity of the inter-country adoption process. The Diplomatic Security Service conducted an excellent investigation to uncover the scheme to profit from fraudulently securing the adoption of children, some of the most vulnerable victims in society.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). The sentencing sends a strong message to those who would attempt to exploit the most vulnerable among us.

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