An adoption attorney is charged with trying to buy unborn children from two Tarrant County inmates.
Jody Hall is facing two counts of Felony Sale or Purchase of Child. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office says she sent money to pregnant women in jail in exchange for taking their children to put up for adoption through her agency.
In arrest affidavits obtained by NBC 5, investigators laid out how they say 68-year-old Jody Hall schemed to buy unborn children from two inmates in the Tarrant County jail.
The sheriff’s office said Hall is an attorney and runs Adoptions International LLC.
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Court documents said inmates in the Tarrant jail use tablets to communicate with people outside the jail.
The affidavit says according to chat records Hall, “discussed monetary agreements, provided various deposits into several inmates’ commissary accounts…for the purposes of acquiring a child for the purpose of adoption.”
Investigators detailed messages Hall sent to one female inmate starting in March.
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“Should be putting the money on your books today or tomorrow,” the document said Hall wrote. “Have you heard from your boyfriend?”
“I need to get him to sign a document stating that he may or may not be the father but if he is, he is relinquishing his rights,” the affidavit continued. “…I don’t need birth moms that lie to me to get financial support. And I can’t give you anymore if he’s not willing to sign the paperwork.”
The affidavit said Hall sent the inmate payments adding up to $846.
Investigators said when the woman later decided to keep her child and gave birth, Hall wrote to her, “Amber you’re in jail and a drug addict…you are a scammer and I will be telling the prosecutor in your case all about how this family supported you since November.”
In conversations with another inmate that started in May, court documents said Hall told the woman, “After you sign the relinquishment documents, we will add the same amount of money for 25 weeks wherever you go.”
The documents said Hall sent the woman 250 dollars, later writing, “I have a family ready to go…you will love them. And you can have 2500 dollars when you get out, or if you want me to put some on your books each week, I can do that.”
According to Texas Penal Code 25.08(b)(4), adoption agencies are allowed to send money to pregnant women, “as a necessary pregnancy-related expense for the benefit of the child’s parent.”
But the arrest affidavit said Hall’s actions wouldn’t meet that standard, “because Tarrant County jail incurs all necessary pregnancy-related and living expenses of the inmates.”
Hall was arrested in Hays County last week.
NBC 5 reached out to Hall and her agency Adoptions International for a response to the charges, but we have not heard back.
