Maricopa County won't decide before Christmas whether to reinstate an elected official who was suspended when he was accused of directing an international human smuggling scheme.
(Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, Pool)
The Maricopa County Assessor accused of paying women from a poor Pacific island nation to give their babies up for adoption in the United States has made an appeal to keep his job.
Officials have hired two law firms and a former Arizona attorney general to investigate the Maricopa County Assessor who is trying to keep his job as he defends himself against human smuggling charges.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a December 11 hearing for Assessor Paul D. Petersen to appeal his suspension amid human smuggling and other charges. Lawyers for Petersen say the suspension last month was illegal.
Paul Petersen has requested a hearing to contest his suspension as Maricopa County assessor while he awaits trial for human smuggling and other charges related to his adoption business.
