Former GOP Official Pleads Guilty to Selling Babies

[Milchshake]

Arizona GOP official Paul Peterson pleaded guilty to selling Pacific Islander babies. Case actually turns out to be far worse than I originally imagined.

The pregnant Marshallese women were kept in a prostitution camp where they had sex for food. The babies were essentially being farmed by the defendants. The women were as young as 15.


A former elected official in Arizona who paid pregnant women as much as $10,000 to travel to the United States illegally to give up their newborn children for adoption pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a federal human smuggling conspiracy charge, the authorities said.

The former official, Paul D. Petersen of Mesa, Ariz., a private adoption lawyer who was also the assessor in Maricopa County, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville, Ark. He could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to David Clay Fowlkes, the acting United States attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. No sentencing date has been set.

As part of the plea, other federal charges against Mr. Petersen, 44, will be dismissed after sentencing.

The plea came several days after Mr. Petersen pleaded guilty to related state charges in Utah and in Arizona. No sentencing dates have been set for him in those cases.

Shades of Jeffrey Epstein, who had a plan to impregnate dozens of women to farm babies at his sprawling New Mexico ranch.

[Byleth]

I thought it was the Democrats who ran pedo camps

[Santti]

10 bucks says he is "pro-life". And in favor of capital punishment, as well.

[Stormspark]

10 bucks says he is "pro-life". And in favor of capital punishment, as well.

Now we know why Republicans are "pro life". They don't care about kids, they just want them to be born so they can sell them.

[Thekri]

What is wrong with Maricopa county? I have never actually been there, and every time I see it in the news it is connected to some bizarrely horrific shit. It is a pretty urban place, why does it keep electing these completely vile people?

This isn't some minor political scandal like banging someone's wife or getting caught with a hooker. This is some straight up warcrimes minus the war. Holy shit, don't the Republicans love the death sentence? Can we use it on guys like this?

[Stormspark]

What is wrong with Maricopa county? I have never actually been there, and every time I see it in the news it is connected to some bizarrely horrific shit. It is a pretty urban place, why does it keep electing these completely vile people?

This isn't some minor political scandal like banging someone's wife or getting caught with a hooker. This is some straight up warcrimes minus the war. Holy shit, don't the Republicans love the death sentence? Can we use it on guys like this?

I have a better punishment. Castrate them, then life in prison.

[Miseration]

What a conversation

[Ivanstone]

Regarding his county assessor job:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opin...or/4011262002/
"But the proposal was defeated in 1996 after opponents warned it could lead to a tax increase and the county’s seven “row officers” – the assessor, clerk, recorder, superintendent and treasurer plus county attorney and sheriff – lined up to defend their turf, predicting all manner of shenanigans if professionals rather than politicians held the jobs.

''I think I would have been fired three years ago if I were appointed,'' then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at the time. ''There would be no tents, no pink underwear, no green baloney. No nothing.'' "

[Stormspark]

Not even a joke. Poverty = cheap/free labour. The wild thing is this all happened while Republican supporters were foaming at the mouth about pizza gate.

It's projecting. Anytime the Republicans accuse a Democrat of doing something, it means the Republicans are actually doing it.

[Stormspark]

Good thing the president isnt saying the Democrats are rigging the election :0

It's pretty common knowledge that the republicans are trying to rig the election. The question isn't, will the republicans blatantly cheat. The question is, will it be enough? If it's not, then the US might still have a chance. If it is, dictatorship.

[Xeones]

Family values! They literally accuse democrats with no basis of all the things they are guilty of.

[Shadowferal]

...could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000...

Damn light sentence.

[ati87]

It's projecting. Anytime the Republicans accuse a Democrat of doing something, it means the Republicans are actually doing it.

Yes, and I'm pretty sure that Trump is an communist Muslim that was born in Kenya.

[zorkuus]

Yes, and I'm pretty sure that Trump is an communist Muslim that was born in Kenya.

Has he ever released his birth certificate? He was blabbering on and on about Obama not having done it so much I'm beginning to think he didn't.

[Lenonis]

Has he ever released his birth certificate? He was blabbering on and on about Obama not having done it so much I'm beginning to think he didn't.

You can assume that whenever Trump goes on and on about something it's a lie.

So yes, his birth certificate was released which he had no reason to need to do so anyway because the birther conspiracy was absurd from the start.

[Ivanstone]

You can assume that whenever Trump goes on and on about something it's a lie.

So yes, his birth certificate was released which he had no reason to need to do so anyway because the birther conspiracy was absurd from the start.

But was his birth certificate real?!?!?!! I believe that Donald J Trump was actually born in Kallstadt, Germany on June 14th, 1936. This does make him 84 but all vain people lie about their real age. He was probably conceived at a Hitler Youth Rally. I think there should be an investigation and I expect unbelievable things to be uncovered.

[Omega10]

That's some dystopic shit

I almost skipped over this thread thinking that the title was blown out of proportion.

Now I wish I had since it is quite accurately reflects reality

The downside to all of this is it makes respecting Trump supporters that much harder. The upside is that it increases my resolve in making sure that Trump not only loses the 2020 election, but loses it in a huge humiliating landslide.

[Ripster42]

...could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000...

Damn light sentence.

Looks like it'll be closer to 15 years with an additional 50k tacked on, as far as the utah state charges go. Didn't see anything on a fine for the arizona charges.

[Lynarii]

Can anyone find anything about the first part of the OP's claims involving the women being basically kept as sex slaves? That's not a part of any of the stories I'm reading on this topic, and at least one of the articles I read specifically stated that there's no signs of mistreatment.

What the guy did is still very wrong either way, but the situation of the birth mothers makes a huge difference as to the scale of evil.

[cubby]

...could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000...

Damn light sentence.

He will more than likely get more - unless some plea deal is found. Those sentencing guidelines are just for the federal charges - he still faces multiple state related charges. And considering what he did, I doubt anyone will allow him to run them concurrently. He'll be in jail for 20+ years, during the best years of his life.