According to online inmate booking records, the founder of a Texas adoption agency is facing two felony charges of sale or purchase of a child.
On July 23, Jody Hall, aged 68, was taken into custody and booked at Hays County Jail. Later that same day, she was released on a $50,000 surety bond.
According to arrest affidavits obtained by PEOPLE, Hall, who is identified as the founder, attorney, and executive director of Adoptions International Inc. on her LinkedIn profile, is accused of using the tablet communication system to communicate with pregnant inmates at Tarrant County Jail in an alleged attempt to buy their unborn babies.
According to the affidavit, Hall reportedly paid $846 to a woman for her unborn child. She allegedly threatened to stop the payments if the woman’s boyfriend didn’t give up his parental rights. “I don’t tolerate birth mothers who deceive me just to receive financial aid,” Hall stated, as per the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, she reportedly paid a sum of $250 to another woman and communicated through a messaging system about paying her an additional $2,500 either after her release or as a weekly deposit to her account.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office is the subject of our discussion.
According to the affidavit, Hall reportedly messaged the woman on May 7th, saying, “I have assisted many girls like you.” She then explained the concept of “open adoption” and assured the woman that she could receive help even while not incarcerated. The affidavit states that Hall also offered to provide $100 per week for the woman’s commissary account, allowing her to purchase a tablet or anything else she might need. Additionally, Hall inquired about the baby’s birth father and whether he was involved in the situation.
According to a subsequent conversation, the individual reportedly brought up the fact that the woman was imprisoned and suggested that Child Protective Services would be contacted. The baby’s welfare was mentioned, and the individual claimed that they could have the case closed if they knew that the woman had informed the social worker and nurses about having an adoption plan.
According to the affidavit, when the woman who received $846 expressed her desire to keep her child, Hall reportedly called her a “drug addict” and a “scammer,” and went on to threaten her by saying that she would inform the prosecutor about how the adoptive family had been supporting her, and how she had scammed them with the help of her boyfriend. Hall even claimed that the woman’s boyfriend had posted pictures on Facebook holding the baby, calling her a liar in the process.
According to the Texas Penal Code, adoption agencies are permitted to cover certain pregnancy-related expenses for birth mothers. However, the Tarrant County Jail covers all necessary pregnancy-related and living expenses for its inmates. As a result, the payments made to Hall were deemed “unauthorized” and illegal by the police as they exceeded the allowable expenses under the law. The police made this claim in the affidavits.
In June 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs suspended Adoptions International Inc.’s accreditation “pending additional review.”
The adoption agency has been suspended by the bureau and it is unknown how long the suspension will last or what caused it. During the suspension period, the agency is not allowed to offer any adoption services related to intercountry adoption cases. The agency has been instructed to transfer their cases to another adoption service provider.
At this time, it remains uncertain whether Hall has secured legal representation or entered any plea regarding the charges against her.
If someone is found guilty of the third degree felony sale or purchase of a child in Texas, they could face imprisonment for a period ranging from two to 10 years.
