United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

ABILENE, TEXAS, WOMAN FACES FEDERAL CHARGES
IN ADOPTION SCAM

Defendant Caused Victims’ Losses of Approximately $35,000

United States Attorney Richard B. Roper announced that Tawana Lynn Howard was arrested in Abilene, Texas, yesterday on charges outlined in a federal indictment returned in March 2006 by a grand jury in Lubbock, Texas, and unsealed yesterday. The eight-count indictment charges Howard with three counts of mail fraud and five counts of wire fraud in relation to her scheme to defraud adoption agencies and potential adoptive parents.

Howard, age 26, made her initial appearance yesterday afternoon before the Honorable Philip R. Lane, United States Magistrate Judge, who released her on bond with conditions. An arraignment date has not yet been set. Howard, while presently residing in Abilene, has also recently lived in Wichita, Kansas.

According to the indictment, from July to December 2004, Tawana Lynn Howard
used materially false and fraudulent representations to solicit money from families and adoption agencies. During this time frame, Howard contacted Adoption Ad Network, Family to Family Adoptions, Inc., and Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions, Inc. to assist her in locating a family to adopt her unborn child and each of these three agencies found a family that agreed to adopt Howard’s child. At no time did Howard inform any of the agencies or families that she was involved with any other entity in the adoption of her unborn child.

One family retained Care Adoption, a Texas child placement agency to coordinate their adoption of Howard’s child. Another family retained Family to Family Adoptions to coordinate their adoption of Howard’s child and the third family retained Little Flower Adoptions, also a Texas child placement agency, to coordinate their adoption of Howard’s child. Howard falsely and fraudulently represented that she was not working with any other adoption agencies or prospective adoptive parents. Howard also knew that it was illegal to accept money from one agency while working with another agency, yet, during this time period of approximately six months, she obtained approximately $6,618.85 from various adoption agencies for her living expenses. The total loss sustained by the victims, which includes attorneys’ fees, administrative fees, and travel expenses, totaled $34,678.25. In November and December 2004, Howard informed the three families and the respective adoption agencies that she no longer wished to place her child for adoption.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. However, if convicted on all counts of the indictment, Howard faces a maximum statutory sentence of 160 years imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine and restitution.

United States Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Abilene Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag of the Lubbock, Texas, United States Attorney’s Office.

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