FORT WORTH, Texas — The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office accuses an attorney of paying two pregnant county jail inmates to put up their babies for adoption through the agency she ran.
The Texas Rangers and TCSO investigators arrested Jody Hall on July 23 at her home in Kyle. They charge her with two counts of 'Sale or Purchase of Child,' a third degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
At least one of the inmates did not relinquish her baby through Hall's adoption agency. It's not clear if the other woman followed through with the alleged plan to give away her child in exchange for money.
"On May 28, 2024, an investigation involving adoption attorney Jody Hall and her business, Adoptions International Inc., was conducted concerning unethical adoption practices," a TCSO spokesperson wrote in a statement. "During this investigation, information was discovered that Jody Hall was paying money to multiple, pregnant Tarrant County inmates for the purpose of placing their unborn children up for adoption with Hall’s agency."
Investigators reviewed messages Hall sent to the pregnant inmates' jail-issued tablets. A warrant for Hall's arrest says the 68-year-old "discussed monetary agreements, (and) provided various deposits into several inmates' commissary accounts... for the purposes of acquiring a child for the purpose of adoption."
It's not clear how Hall initially found the 29-year-old pregnant inmate she first messaged in March.
"My name is Jody Hall," she wrote. "I am the Director of the Adoption Agency that you have signed with."
Hall told the woman she had pictures of the family who wanted to adopt her child.
The warrant indicates the two exchanged messages for two months, until it became clear the woman's boyfriend would not relinquish his right to custody of the child.
"I don't need birth moms that lie to me just to get financial support," Hall allegedly wrote. "I can't give you anymore if he's not willing to sign the paperwork. That means he wants the baby if he is the father."
Hall stopped paying the 29-year-old on May 6, according to financial records referenced in the court filing. Records show the woman took $846 over several months from Hall, but did not relinquish her baby.
"You're in jail and a drug addict," Hall wrote to the woman. "You are a scammer and I will be telling the prosecutor in your case all about how this family supported you since November and you scammed them with the help of your boyfriend. He's got pictures all over Facebook of him holding the baby. You are such a liar!!"
It's not clear whether Hall knew she could implicate herself in a crime by telling prosecutors what happened.
Hall allegedly got the other pregnant woman's contact information from an inmate on May 6, the same day she stopped payments to the 29-year-old.
Records indicate Hall's introductory appeal to the second inmate, a 24-year-old, was more direct.
"I've helped a lot of girls like yourself," Hall allegedly wrote. "We have families who cannot have children that would love to adopt your child. It will be an open adoption where you will get pictures and learn how the child is doing as they grow up. If you have family members that can take the child, that is great. Or if you will be out of jail by the time the child is born, that is great too. But if you still won't be in a position to raise a child, or have a friend or family that can take the child, we can help you even when you're not in jail. You can pick a family and start communicating with them now. We will put $100 weekly on your books and you can spend part of it on your tablet or whatever you wish to buy. What about the birth father of the baby? Is he around?"
Hall and the 24-year-old also engaged in a dispute, the warrant indicates. At one point, Hall tried to secure medical records from the 24-year-old to confirm she was actually pregnant.
If the inmate had a child, it's not clear whether she relinquished the baby.
The warrant alleges Hall paid $250 to the 24-year-old from May to July. Records show Hall offered to give the woman $2,500 when she got out of jail.
Adoptions International, Inc.'s website says the 68-year-old helped facilitate more than 1,200 adoptions since Hall found the Dallas-based organization in 1995.
"Jody is an expert in all immigration and legal aspects of the adoption process, and is actively involved in each and every adoption case we handle," the website says.
Adoptions International, Inc. placed children from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Macedonia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in American homes, the website says.
But in 2019, the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity cancelled Adoptions International's accreditation for "failing to maintain substantial compliance with accreditation standards."
It's not clear what standards Adoptions International, Inc. failed to meet, but the cancellation barred Hall's organization from handling international adoption cases.
Hall has practiced law since 1986 and has an active license, according to state bar records.
A judge set Hall's bond amount at $25,000 for each offense. She bonded out of jail on July 23, the same day she was arrested.
Hall did not respond to WFAA's request for comment Thursday.